In Winnipeg, a prosecutor highlighted a series of concerning incidents at a residence, including hazardous sleeping conditions, widespread drug use, and the tumultuous relationship of the parents, indicating a significant lapse in care leading up to the tragic death of a three-month-old in 2022. Alison Muise, 42, faces charges for failing to provide essential care, following the passing of her unresponsive baby, Layla Mattern-Muise, in February 2022.
The trial, overseen by Manitoba provincial court Judge Michelle Bright, commenced in September and concluded with closing statements presented on Wednesday. Testimony from a Winnipeg police officer in September revealed the unsuitability of Muise’s residence for children, citing the presence of debris, drug-related items, and a window left open during a cold February day.
David Schindel, a resident in the basement, described a scene of disorder, violence, and frequent drug activity within the home before the infant’s demise. Muise’s father, Lou Muise, acknowledged in court that his granddaughter was not safe in the residence, referencing images submitted to court showing drug paraphernalia inside a bedroom drawer.
During the defense’s closing arguments, lawyer Tom Rees disputed the notion that a criminal act occurred in Muise’s home, questioning the reliability of Schindel’s testimony due to potential memory impairment from meth use. Rees also challenged the evidence linking meth found on the baby’s bottles to Muise, emphasizing the lack of details on the drug quantity and location on the bottles.
Addressing the chaotic scene on the day of the baby’s death, Rees attributed the disarray to room rearrangements and emergency responders’ actions. He differentiated between a disorderly and unclean environment, asserting the absence of documented proof of unsanitary conditions in the home during the tragedy.
Christopher Mattern, the baby’s father, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge as Muise and received a sentence in August. Despite the acknowledgment of meth in the baby’s system, discrepancies regarding the inclusion of a toxicology report in Muise’s case surfaced during court proceedings.
Rees contended that the prosecution failed to demonstrate Muise’s departure from reasonable behavior and highlighted her vulnerable status as a victim of domestic abuse at the time of the incident. In response, Crown prosecutor Alanna Littman defended the reliability of Schindel’s testimony, aligning his accounts of pervasive drug usage in the residence with physical evidence.
Littman emphasized the inherent risk associated with any level of meth exposure to a baby, asserting that the presence of the drug on a bottle poses an undeniable danger. Describing a series of events unfolding over six weeks before the baby’s death, including the challenging relationship between Muise and Mattern and the influx of drug users in the home, Littman argued that these factors, combined with the discovery of meth on a baby bottle, constitute the alleged offense.
The case awaits a decision from Judge Bright, expected in early February.