TORONTO -- A woman accused of killing her 17-year-old stepdaughter more than two decades ago was found guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday.
Elaine Biddersingh had pleaded not guilty in the death of Melonie Biddersingh, whose charred, malnourished body was found in a burning suitcase in an industrial parking lot north of Toronto in 1994.
The conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.
Biddersingh, who had been out on bail throughout the trial, shook her head slightly after a juror read the verdict and picked up a bible she'd brought in with her. Then she smiled and embraced her youngest daughter before turning herself over to a court officer.
Melonie went unidentified for years until 2011, when her stepmother told an Ontario pastor the girl had "died like a dog" after being confined and denied food and medication.
The teen's father, Everton Biddersingh, was found guilty in January of first-degree murder in his daughter's death.
Elaine Biddersingh's defence team suggested Melonie's father was to blame for her death, while his wife was a victim of domestic abuse. The lawyers did not call any of their own evidence but they argued their client was unaware that Melonie's life was at risk.
Instead, they suggested Melonie died when her father held her head down a toilet in punishment, causing her to drown.
Exactly how Melonie died remains unclear but expert evidence at the trial has indicated she inhaled water shortly before her death and either drowned or nearly drowned, but died afterward from something else, such as starvation.
Crown prosecutors, however, argued that Elaine Biddersingh -- a religious woman -- was the mastermind behind the abuse suffered by Melonie, while her husband was the enforcer.
They suggested Elaine Biddersingh had failed in her duties as a parent, noting that the woman believed Melonie was possessed by the devil and treated her stepdaughter very differently from her own children. They also argued she played "an active and substantial" role in Melonie's death.
The trial heard that Melonie came to Canada from Jamaica in 1991 with two brothers to live with her father and her stepmother in Toronto.
The trial has heard that the children, who had lived in extreme poverty, saw the move as a great opportunity that would lead to a brighter future.
But instead of being sent to school, the children were kept at home and were made to do their father and stepmother's bidding. Melonie in particular had to clean the house, wash clothes in a bathtub and was responsible for caring for Biddersingh's baby girl, the trial heard.
The trial has heard that Melonie's younger brother died in an accident in 1992, and Melonie and Cleon's treatment worsened significantly over time, with Melonie getting the worst of the abuse.
The trial has heard she was kicked, slapped and thrown against walls by her father, her stepmother once threw a mug at her head so hard it broke, she was deprived of food, made to sleep on the floor, confined to the apartment and eventually chained to the furniture.
As her condition worsened, the trial heard Melonie cried with pain, had trouble moving and was clearly in need of medical attention.
Medical evidence called in the trial indicated Melonie was severely malnourished and had 21 healing fractures when she died.
