“Maélie, my princess, I love you for life”, sobs Steve Augusto-Nogueira. This cry from the heart is that of a father who had his 6-year-old daughter snatched from him in the most horrible way: stabbed 80 times by his own mother. For her “irreparable gesture”, Stéphanie Brossoit was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.
“The description of Maélie’s death is blood-chilling. There are no words strong enough to describe the horrific nature of what the little girl suffered on the night of July 23. The death of a fragile, innocent child, who is just beginning her life, is heartbreaking and even shocking. It is a drama of incredible sadness, ”said Judge Yvan Poulin, confirming the joint suggestion of the parties.
Maélie Brossoit-Nogueira’s father, big sister and grandmother gave heartbreaking testimonies Thursday during the hearing on the sentence to be imposed on Stéphanie Brossoit. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter earlier this month as her murder trial was set to begin.
In psychosis after ingesting a cocktail of drugs and medication, Stéphanie Brossoit stabbed her daughter using two knives on July 23, 2020. Eighty shots were given in several rooms of a dwelling in the east of Montreal. During the attack, the girl took refuge in the bathroom, but her mother broke down the door to continue stabbing her.
“Mom, don’t you want me to die? “begged Maélie during the attack. “Well no, baby”, then replied his mother, according to his story.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FAMILY OF THE VICTIM
The victim and his mother, Stéphanie Brossoit
Steve Augusto-Nogueira described his “little Maélie” as an always smiling little girl who had her life ahead of her. “Unfortunately, it’s not a nightmare. I would have liked so much to prevent you from leaving. I have no words to express how painful your absence is, how I wish I could have hugged you, told you that everything will be fine, ”the man breathed, his voice broken.
Maélie’s older sister is still suffering from deep sequelae three years later. “I was extremely hurt and I still suffer a lot. Not only did I lose a sister, but I also lost a mother. […] She is no longer a mother in my eyes, ”said the young woman.
“I try to find inner peace, to give myself a second chance, to live the life I deserve. But it is extremely hard. […] My little sister will never have the chance to grow up and become the woman she wanted to be. […] I will always miss a part of me,” she added.
“An Endless Nightmare”
Taking tears, Stéphanie Brossoit read a moving letter during the hearing. “All of this just doesn’t make sense!” I am so sorry ! How sorry I am! she gasped. “That person wasn’t me! »
Since she “committed the irreparable”, Maélie’s mother says she is living “the worst nightmare imaginable”. Her “gift from heaven”, her “ray of sunshine”, her daughter of whom she was “so proud”, she killed her. “I was never satisfied with you, my baby love,” sobbed Stéphanie Brossoit.
You are no longer there, you are in paradise, I am caught up in this endless nightmare. Keep shining in the sky, my Maélie.
Stephanie Brossoit
According to psychiatrists, Stéphanie Brossoit was in “a state of intoxication altering and disturbing her perception of reality”. She had consumed speed, a whole cake of cannabis, GHB and a drug.
According to the admitted facts, she woke up in an “other dimension” and heard voices. “I felt like someone was talking to me. […] I hurt him with the knife. I don’t know why I did this, ”she said, a few hours after the fact.
“We are talking about a toxic psychosis, we are not talking about an event that is voluntary,” said his lawyer, Ms.e Elfriede Duclervil, who stressed that this violence was unpredictable.
Stéphanie Brossoit explained that she fell into drugs while she was in a shelter for abused women. Beaten by her spouse at the time, she “often” ended up in hospital with injuries.
The parties presented a joint 10-year suggestion, pointing to the defendant’s “excessively negligent” drinking. As mitigating factors, the prosecution noted his sincere remorse and his beginnings of rehabilitation. “This extreme violence deserves to be strongly denounced,” pleaded prosecutor Simon Lapierre.
This 10-year sentence may seem “lenient at first glance”, agreed Judge Poulin. However, it is a “reasonable” sentence in the circumstances. “No sentence can bring Maélie back,” he recalled, emphasizing the “courage” and “strength” of those close to him.
Six years remain on Stéphanie Brossoit’s sentence, taking into account the time she spent in preventive detention.