Accused killer back in court as two young girls buried

Ashton Lafleche will appear in Edmonton provincial court this morning on two charges of second-degree murder and one charge of assault causing bodily harm.

Lafleche is accused ofkillinghis six-month-old biological daughter, Mary Lafleche Petawaysin, and three-year-old Mackenzie Petawaysinon Dec. 5.

He is alsoaccused of attacking the girls' mother, Tamara Petawaysin.

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According to Facebook posts made by family members, the two little girls were buriedTuesday. Edmonton police were unable to confirm ifPetawaysin was still inhospital.

Prior to the killings, Laflechehad been undera court orderto stay away fromPetawaysin, an order he breachedwhen he assaulted her in mid-September.

According to court transcripts,Petawaysinwas staying with her two girls at the Ramada Inn in Stony Plain on Sept. 17 when Laflechecame by.

"The accused attempted to take Ms. Petawaysin's cellphone and an altercation ensued," prosecutor Christopher Williamssaid. "The accused then struck Ms. Petawaysin in the head with his fist and then left the hotel room."

Petawaysin called RCMP and told them it appeared Lafleche was high on methamphetamine at the time of the assault, transcripts said.

The prosecutoraskedthe judge, Charles Gardner, to impose 30 days in custody to be followed by a year of supervised probation and suggestedLafleche take part in domestic-violence anddrug-and-alcohol-abuse counselling.

He also askedthe no-contact order with Petawaysin to continue.

Alcohol and meth addiction

Lafleche's lawyer told the judge his client has a learning disability and, until he was taken into custody on Oct. 5, was living with his mother who works at an addictions treatment facility in Morinville, north of Edmonton.

"She has been trying to get this young man into treatment," Gary Smith told the judge. "He needs treatment for both addictions to alcohol and methamphetamine."

Smith indicated Lafleche's mother wanted to get him into a treatment facility immediately upon his release. He asked the judge to consider letting Lafleche out of remand with 41 days credit for time served.

Lafleche declined to speak to the court.

The judge sentencedLafleche to 30 days, followed by one year of probation, andordered him to take domestic-violence counselling and to stay away from Petawaysin.

Lafleche also pleaded guilty to violating his probation by not reporting to his parole officer.

The judge said ordinarily he would impose a 30-day sentence for that offence.

"In the unique circumstances that we have here, not only just that you are in the need of treatment, but that you have your mother ... working towards getting you into a program ... I am going to sentence you to just 11 days on that offence."