Canadian mother pleads guilty to manslaughter for death of her teen daughter with CP

From The Welland Tribune in Canada:

ST. CATHARINES, Canada — By the time Courtney Wise died, she was a shell of a human being.

Suffering from cerebral palsy that left her mute, unable to move and wheelchair-bound, Courtney was dependent on her mother for survival.

For seven years, the teenager often received less than half the amount of food she needed each day. At the time of her death on Feb. 18, 2008, in her north St. Catharines home, Courtney was just over four feet tall and weighed 35 pounds. She was infested with fleas and lice. A metal rod in her hip could be seen through an open sore.

Doctors determined the 17-year-old, who had not been taken to a doctor in three years, died from a combination of starvation, dehydration and bronchitis.

On Sept. 4, Courtney’s mother, 47-year-old Astrid Hueller, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She will be sentenced next month.

Hueller was facing charges of second-degree murder and failure to provide the necessities of life, which were withdrawn when she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

In February 2008, Hueller called 911 to report her daughter had died, said assistant Crown attorney Rick Monette. At the time, Hueller told Niagara Regional Police detectives she fed her daughter five times a day.

However, Monette said the results of an autopsy showed Courtney was starved. Detectives from the NRP’s major crimes unit then examined the records from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which provided the funding to pay for Courtney’s meals and medications.

Doctors had prescribed drugs to reduce seizures and assist Courtney with digestion. She could only receive food through a feeding tube and was to receive four to five cans of liquid meal replacements a day.

Monette said records showed that between 2001 and 2008, Courtney got between 1.3 and 2.7 cans of food a day.

Monette said results of the autopsy indicated the teenager was not receiving her medications.

“There was anti-seizure medication in her system, but at levels so low, it was determined to have no therapeutic effect,” he told court.

Hueller, who sat in the prisoner’s box dressed in a dark green sweatsuit, did not address the court. She only nodded and answered “yes” when asked if she understood the charge against her and the consequences of pleading guilty.

Neither Monette nor Hueller’s lawyer, Michael DelGobbo, spoke about why Hueller did not care for her daughter properly.

Monette said Hueller, who has no previous criminal record, has three other teenaged children who are presently living outside the province.

The family had previously lived in British Columbia, where they were often abused by Hueller’s then husband, Steven Wise, court was told.

“He once held the family hostage at gunpoint,” Monette said, noting that Steven Wise has since committed suicide.

When the family moved to Niagara, Hueller relied heavily on social service agencies, particularly for the care of her disabled daughter.

Monette said that in the year before Courtney’s death, local agencies were very concerned about the level of care she was receiving.

Hueller will remain in custody until her sentencing hearing on Oct. 8 in St. Catharines.