The first-degree murder trial for Emil and Rodica Radita continues in a Calgary courtroom on Monday and the defence is expected to begin presenting its case.
The couple are accused in the death of their 15-year-old son, Alex Radita, who died in May 2013 from complications associated with neglect, starvation and unmanaged diabetes.
The teen weighed just 17 Kg when he was found in the family's Citadel area home and was one of eight children.
The trial began in the spring and was adjourned for the summer after the Crown concluded its case in June.
During the trial, court heard from medical experts and social workers who were involved with the family when they lived in B.C.
Alex was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000 and the Crown told the court he was taken to a B.C. hospital several times for complications associated to his condition.
The family moved to Alberta in 2008 and Alex did not see a doctor and was registered in an online school program.
The Crown accused Alex’s parents of confining him to his room and failing to provide him with insulin, food, or medical care until he died and said the teen's parents fostered complete dependence by keeping their son out of school and isolating him from the community.
"This isolation was necessary to allow the Raditas to treat Alexandru's diabetes in an idiosyncratic and dangerous way," prosecutor Susan Pepper told the court. "The relationship between Alex and his parents is not unlike an abusive domestic relationship where the abuser isolates the abused in a bid to establish total control over the victim."
The trial is expected to enter its final stages this week and was adjourned until Tuesday morning.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
