Parents charged in toddler son's death plead guilty to manslaughter

Warning: this story contains details of child abuse

The parents accused in the death of their 18-month-old son pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in a Calgary courtroom Monday.

Michael Sinclair and Sonya Pasqua were charged three years ago in the death of their toddler, Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua.

On Oct. 5, 2021, Calgary police were called to a home in the 2800 block of 14th Avenue S.E. for reports of a boy in medical distress.

First responders administered first aid, but the boy was pronounced dead.

A year later, the parents were arrested and charged.

Emergency crews responded to a 911 call for a boy in medical distress, but court heard he was visibly dead when they got there.

Gabriel died from blunt force head trauma, with a resulting brain injury, and from the untreated major burns leading to sepsis, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The 18-month-old had serious burns to 33 per cent of his body and was malnourished. The burns were caused by hot liquid left pooling in his diaper.

The boy had several other injuries, was dehydrated and emaciated, with a severe infection in his mouth that is believed to have made it difficult to eat or drink.

The couple did not seek medical care but instead told police they tried to treat the burn with honey. They also referred to the boy as a “paycheck” during a text exchange.

“Pasqua and Sinclair admit that their failure as parents to provide prompt medical attention was a marked and substantial departure from the standard of care expected of a parent and showed a wanton disregard for the life and safety of Gabriel,” the agreed statement of facts reads.

“Pasqua and Sinclair admit that their omission was accompanied by an objectively foreseeability of the risk of bodily harm that was neither trivial nor transitory for both the untreated burns and blunt force trauma.

“Both Sinclair and/or Pasqua failed to stop the other parent from abusing Gabriel and inflicting injuries, this unlawful omission was a significant contributing cause of Gabriel's death.”

The boy spent the majority of his life in the care of his great uncle and aunt in Taber, Alta., and had been returned to his parents just six weeks before his death.

“I can just imagine being in Gabriel’s shoes and being thrown into that house and that happens to him when he has loving family and friends,” said Gerry Bakoway, Gabriel’s uncle.

“I can’t imagine what he was feeling, that we let him down. Like, where are we? How come we’re not going to pick him up? And we have to live with that too the rest of our lives what he was feeling while he was there being tortured.”

Sinclair and Pasqua’s defence teams have requested Gladue reports, which present an Indigenous accused’s background for a judge to consider in sentencing.

A sentencing date will be set on Dec. 20.