Andrea Giesbrecht showed no remorse, should get 11 years for hiding infant remains: Crown

Andrea Giesbrechtshould learn next week whether she'll get 11 years or time served forconcealingthe remains of six infants in a Winnipeg U-Haul storage locker.

But as her lawyer left court Friday,he said he planned to take the weekend to decide whether he would file a delay motion asking the court to tossGiesbrecht'scase because it had taken too long to complete.

If he does, that could delay the sentencing decision.

Andrea Giesbrecht showed no remorse, should get 11 years for hiding infant remains: Crown

7 years ago

Duration 1:37

Andrea Giesbrecht should get 11 years in jail for concealing the remains of six infants in a Winnipeg U-Haul storage locker, a Crown prosecutor told a judge Friday morning.

Giesbrecht, 43, appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Friday for sentencing submissions, wearingblack pants and a sweater as she smiled and chatted with three supporters.

In February, a judge found the Winnipeg woman guiltyof six counts of disposing of the body of a dead child with intent to conceal the delivery.

Crown attorney DebbieBuorsasked the court for an 11-year sentence for Giesbrecht, saying there is no minimum sentence for a conviction ofconcealing remains, butthe maximum sentence for each charge is two years.

BuorssaidGiesbrechthas not shown any remorse and appears unapologetic.

Provincial court Judge Murray Thompson reserved his decision. He's expected to deliver it on July 14.

Defence wants release with time served

Defence lawyerGreg Brodsky told Giesbrecht's sentencing hearing his client has already spent the equivalentof 252 days in custody following herarrest in 2014. He wants to see her released with time served.

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He said thatGiesbrechtis not required to explain what happened andthe court should remember sheis being sentencedonly for concealing the remains,not for anything to do with howthe infants died.

He described his client as"caring, compassionate, charismatic and a patient individual," and said she enjoys being a mother.

Remains found in storage locker

The infants' remains were found Oct. 20, 2014, by employees at the Winnipeg U-Haul storage facility in a locker Giesbrecht rented under her maiden name, Andrea Naworynski.

Employees called police after finding an infant's limb when they went in to clean out the locker because Giesbrecht defaulted on paying the rental bill.

The bodies were found in plastic grocery bags, in some cases wrapped in towels and then sealed in household containers. One of the infants was found encased in concrete, and another in a substance similar to laundry detergent.

There was also a bag filled with other items, including toy cars, children's Scooby Doo underwear, infant-sizedsocks and McDonald's Happy Meal instructions for a toy.

Giesbrecht was arrested the same day.

She pleaded not guilty to all six charges.

Initially the Crown looked into laying homicide charges but abandoned the idea because autopsies gleaned no cause of death because of decomposition. Without that information, the Crown had no choice but to pursue a lesser charge.

DNAlinked to Giesbrecht, husband

The lengthy trial began April 18, 2016 and heard from Giesbrecht's husband, son and friends, as well as U-Haul employees, police and forensic experts.

Due to the lesser charge, Giesbrecht couldn't be compelled to provide a blood sample. But police located her DNA on a sanitary napkin found in her closet.

Forensic biologist Christine Crossman testified that the DNA found on the sanitary napkin matched the babies found in the storage locker. DNA tests also linked the babies with Giesbrecht's husband, Jeremy Giesbrecht.

The trial also heard Giesbrecht had 10 therapeutic abortions between 1994 and 2011. An obstetrics and gynecology expert testified Giesbrecht was pregnant at least 18 times between the ages of 20 and 38.

All six infants were between 34 and 42 weeks of gestation and medical expert Dr. Sharon Naugler told the court the likelihood of Giesbrecht delivering six stillborn babies was one in 500 trillion.

During his testimony, Jeremy Giesbrecht said he knew about nine abortions, but was unaware there were other pregnancies. He told court he had a vasectomy in 2011, but did not go for a follow-upappointmentto see if it was successful.

''She wished to conceal the fact of their birth'

In his guilty ruling in February, Thompson said all of the children were likely born alive and "there is no evidence of complications in these pregnancies."

As the mother of two sons, Giesbrecht understood birth and pregnancy, he said.

RAW: Judge's full decision in Andrea Giesbrecht case

8 years ago

Duration 49:28

Provincial court Judge Murray Thompson delivers his decision on whether Andrea Giesbrecht is guilty of concealing the remains of six infants in a Winnipeg U-Haul storage locker.

"All of her actions lead to one conclusion, that Giesbrecht was aware these children were likely to have been born alive and she wished to conceal the fact of their birth."

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