'It's a nightmare': Grandmother of Aliyah Sanderson speaks out as Crown closes in Robert Leeming trial
Jodi Sanderson described her 22-month-old granddaughter, Aliyah, as a very active baby with lots of happiness in her life.
On Friday, she listened once again to traumatic details involving the discovery of her beloved granddaughter's remains.
“It’s a nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” she said.
“I don’t know how I could have survived if they weren’t found, it’s just a nightmare that I’m reliving over and over.”
Aliyah, along with her 25-year-old mother, Jasmine Lovett, was found dead under piles of branches and mulch in a shallow grave near Grizzly Creek, a day-use area in Kananaskis Country, west of Calgary.
Robert Leeming, a 36-year-old U.K. citizen, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Lovett, but not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Sanderson.
The bodies of Calgarian Jasmine Lovett and her 22-month-old daughter Aliyah Sanderson were located in Kananaskis Country in May 2019. (supplied images)
The mother and toddler were reported missing in April 2019 after they didn't show up for a family dinner. Leeming was initially arrested as a suspect but released without charge.
Court heard that a few weeks later, two undercover officers approached Leeming on a street near his Cranston home. Both were working on Operation Highwood, a 4.5-hour sting that culminated in Leeming leading the two undercover officers to Lovett and Sanderson’s bodies.
They said they recognized Leeming from media reports, telling him there was a bag of evidence found by a "nosy neighbour" that he may want to take care of.
Crown prosecutor Douglas Taylor continued to make his case in court Friday, interviewing an undercover police officer who was able to convince Leeming to show them where the bodies were.
The officer, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, described several hours of audio recording conversations he had with Leeming, including the moment the bodies of Sanderson and Lovett were discovered.
Calgary police officers escort a suspect in the murders of Jasmine Lovett and Aliyah Sanderson into the arrest processing unit.
“We exited the vehicle and I described following Mr. Leeming into the trees and as we walked, Mr. Leeming suddenly stopped,” the officer said in court.
“I said ‘OK, where to?’ (Leeming) said, ‘you’re looking at it.’ I saw a small bit of blue which appeared to be moving blankets and I told (Leeming) not to touch anything so that we could preserve the scene.”
Court heard that the bodies were located near a large rock and officers were able to drive into the area by taking a pole from the centre of the road blocking an entranceway.
“Mr. Leeming indicated a small opening where we could drive up through the ditch and into some trees.”
The officer said Leeming also expressed relief that his 2014 Mercedes seized by police was an older model.
"It's funny 'cause they were telling me the Mercedes, they pretty much can hook up to the computer in the car and know exactly where I've been,'' Leeming said with a laugh.
"It's too old a car. If it was an '18, then I'd be in jail.''
Leeming appeared in court Friday wearing a grey sweatshirt and often rested his head in his hands, while looking down.
The prosecution was expected to wrap up its case Friday. The court case presided by Justice Keith Yamauchi will continue at 1030 a.m. Tuesday.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.