Calgary murder trial hears from undercover officers in deaths of mother, toddler
The trial of a man who admitted to killing his girlfriend but not her young daughter heard Thursday about an undercover police operation that helped find their bodies in a shallow grave west of Calgary.
Robert Leeming, 36, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Jasmine Lovett and not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 22-month-old Aliyah Sanderson.
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 charges.
Court heard that a few weeks later, two undercover officers, working as part of Operation Highwood, approached Leeming on a street.
"The approach I made with him is that there's a bag of evidence that was found by a nosy neighbour and I'm telling him it's something he may want to take care of," testified one of the officers, who cannot be identified.
"I'm putting myself in a position with him to help him."
The officer said he and the other officer told Leeming they recognized him because of the media attention he had garnered as a suspect, and how the evidence "might be important to him."
The three men visited outside a coffee shop and had beers at a pub before the officers suggested they go to "the shop," a covert location where they could talk more freely.
Leeming agreed.
Robert Leeming, 34, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her 22-month-old daughter, Aliyah Sanderson."He was very relaxed, jovial in fact at times," testified the officer. "We were sharing stories back and forth and having a bit of a laugh throughout. He was more than comfortable going to the shop at that point."
The officer said they made a number of stops and ended up in Kananaskis Country. Then they took Leeming back to Calgary.
At some point, court heard, Leeming confided to the officers the location of the bodies.
Lovett and the child had been buried and covered with mulch, twigs and dirt at a day-use site in the Kananaskis area.
A medical examiner earlier testified that Lovett had skull fractures and had been shot in the head. Aliyah died of blunt force head trauma.
A digital forensics expert also testified that searches for "free mulch Calgary" had been deleted from Leeming's computer.
There were also messages on the computer between Leeming and Lovett talking about moving in together in October 2018. The trial heard the couple had met on a dating app a month before.
"'So if you're really 100 per cent on doing this I need to know cause I feel like I want to make that next step with you," wrote Lovett.
"So you think you wanna be with me forever? LOL,'' Leeming replied.
"LOL. Yah well it's going to be a new experience for both of us,'' Lovett said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.