Frank Nausigimana pleaded guilty Thursday in Winnipeg court to the second-degree murder of his 3-year-old daughter, Jemimah Bunadalian.
I accept my punishment and I submit to the law of Godsaid defendant in sign language.
In July 2021, the girl was found suffering two stab wounds in her mother’s car.
According to the agreed version of the facts, on the day of the murder, Mr. Nausigimana approached the girl’s mother’s vehicle. Carrying the knife, he got into the car and forced the mother to drive.
As Mr. Nausigimana ordered him to move his seat, he took the opportunity to flee, believing that it would not hurt his son.
Frank Nausigimana stopped the car in the distance. He then prompted a passing vehicle to call 911 because he had killed his daughter, again according to the agreed version of events.
Mr. Nausigimana was initially charged with first degree murder, but after an agreement with Crown prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to second degree murder.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September. The minimum sentence for second -degree murder is life imprisonment without parole for 10 years.
The Crown requests that Mr. Nausigimana spent 19 years in prison before he could apply for parole, while the defense is asking for 17.
A turbulent past
According to police, Frank Nausigimana and the girl’s mother are no longer in a relationship and have not spoken for a long time.
In 2017, Mr. Nausigimana was convicted of assaulting the girl’s mother while she was pregnant. According to the Court, she tried at the time to abort the baby by force by giving the mother a mixture of substances, against her will.
A protection order was granted to the girl’s mother, but she requested it shortly after the order was revoked. He wanted her to be able to attend church service, because they attended the same church.
For the attack that took place in 2017, Frank Nausigimana was sentenced to one year of supervised probation.
With information from The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
