CANADA • Caleb,6 - Gabriel, 3 CARDINAL ~ Edmonton AB

Two children found dead in north Edmonton home
-Man, 31, in police custody
By Jana G. Pruden, edmontonjournal.com
December 20, 2010 12:27 PM



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EPS forensics officers walk into a townhouse in Edmonton's northeast on
Monday, December 20, 2010, while investigating a homicide scene where
the bodies of two children were found late Sunday night, December 19. A 31-year-old man was taken into custody.
Photograph by: Chris Schwarz, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON — A resident of the Edmonton townhouse complex where the bodies of two small children were found late Sunday night says a kindergarten-aged boy and girl lived in the home.
“That is so sad to happen at Christmas,” said Tracey, who did not give her last name.“I pray that somebody up there is looking after them now.”

Police confirmed Monday that the bodies of two children were found in the north Edmonton townhouse by police officers called to assist the Child and Family Services crisis unit at about 11:32 p.m. on Sunday. The townhouse is located at 373 Abbottsfield Road, in the area of Abbottsfield Road and 118th Avenue.

A 31-year-old man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is in police custody. Police say the name of the suspect and any pending charges will be released after autopsies are performed on the bodies. The man’s relationship to the children is not yet clear, and police say the autopsies have not yet been scheduled.

Tracey remembered the children playing outside with her daughter, in the same field that is now cordoned off with yellow police tape. “That’s so sad that the kids are gone,” she said.
Other neighbours described the complex as a place where people keep to themselves, and said they weren’t sure who lived in the unit where the bodies were found.
One woman said she had never seen the residents of the townhouse unit, but was
saddened to hear that bodies had been found inside the home. “It’s very, very sad,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. “This is the first time I see something like that in my life.”

Police say the EPS Homicide Section is leading the investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-8477.

www.edmontonjournal.com/news/children found dead north Edmonton home/4002787/story.html#ixzz18gYIoaWL

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Father charged with murder in deaths of two Edmonton children
Alberta Child and Youth Services doesn't plan to conduct internal investigation
December 21, 2010

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A small white body bag is removed from a townhouse in Edmonton's east end on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. The bodies of two children were found by police late Sunday night, Dec. 19, and a 31-year-old man was taken into custody.
Photograph by: Chris Schwarz, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON — The father of two young boys found dead Sunday night in a north
Edmonton townhouse has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Court records confirm the 31-year-old father of the boys, aged 3 and 6, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.

Minister of Alberta Child and Youth Services Yvonne Fritz said Tuesday her
department will not conduct an internal investigation into the deaths of the two boys, who did have some involvement with the department.

Autopsies on the bodies were done Tuesday. Fritz said while the boys always lived with a parent, her department provided support and services to the family. “I can tell you that I have reviewed my ministry’s involvement,” Fritz said. “I have confidence that the family was assisted with the appropriate supports and services through our ministry.” As a result, she said, an internal investigation would be “unnecessary” at this time. Fritz would not elaborate on the nature of the government’s involvement with the family, nor would she comment on how the family came to her department’s attention, citing privacy concerns. She said she anticipates that a fatality inquiry will be called by the minister of justice in the future.

The bodies of the two boys were found in a townhouse near Abbottsfield Road and 118th Avenue after police were called to assist the Child and Family Services crisis unit. The boys’ father was also found inside the home. He had minor injuries and was taken into police custody, according to EPS spokeswoman Clair Seyler. Court records from 2008 show the boys’ mother was ordered to pay nearly $12,000 per year in child support to the father. Under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, the identities of the boys can’t be published. As a result, the name of their father, now accused of their murder, can’t be made public either. A photo of the boys on their mother’s Facebook page shows the six-year-old with his arm
around his younger brother, their faces pressed against each other, both looking up into the camera with wide eyes. Family members and friends offered their condolences to the family on the website.“Ur little 1z r safe n da Creator’s armz now,” said one woman.

On Tuesday afternoon, NDP MLA Rachel Notley called for government transparency and an investigation into the tragedy. Notley acknowledged that the government “involvement” in this case could mean “quite a spectrum” of levels of scrutiny, but said the government needs to show the public the case was handled appropriately. “It’s the kind of thing where we need to know if the system broke down, not only ministry of children, but perhaps the health system, perhaps the justice system,” said Notley. “Because the government was involved, as concerned citizens we need to know that everything that could have been done was done.”

Edmonton Police Association president Tony Simioni said the deaths have also affected the police community. Everyone from the dispatcher to the patrol officers investigating the scene would have had mandatory critical stress debriefing and be offered counselling. “Obviously this is impactful and traumatic for the whole community, inclusive of the emergency responders and our officers,” Simioni said. “We have to be certain they’re doing OK.”
The deaths are the city’s 26th and 27th homicides of the year.

Two children are dead and their father charged with first-degree murder. But we can’t tell you their names.
Section 126.2 of the Alberta Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act reads that
“no person shall publicize information serving to identify a child who has come to the minister’s or a director’s attention under this act.” That ban includes such information as a child’s parents, address and any other details that could lead to identification. “The frustrating practical aspect of that is that we often have no mechanism to determine whether or not the section applies to a particular fact
situation, even where a crime has been committed,” said Fred Kozak, The
Journal’s lawyer. “That prevents us from informing our readers of circumstances that might be important in informing opinions on whether the government is doing everything it can to protect vulnerable children.”
In some cases, it means that the identity of people convicted of serious crimes, such as the murder of a child in care, will never become public. It can also mean, such as in the slayings of two young boys in the Abbottsfield neighbourhood on Sunday night, the victims remain anonymous, even in death and in despite of the wishes of
close family members. Other provinces have legislated publication restrictions, Kozak said, but they are not as wide-ranging and vague as Alberta’s.

Read more: [url=http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Father charged with murder deaths Edmonton children/4009066/story.html#ixzz18qqBvIqN]http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Father charged with murder deaths Edmonton children/4009066/story.html#ixzz18qqBvIqN[/url]

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Last Updated:Thursday, December 23, 2010 | 3:44 PM MT

CBC News can now name the Edmonton father accused of killing his two children earlier this week.

Jason Bruce Cardinal, 31, was charged after his two sons — one six years old and the other almost four — were found dead in a north Edmonton townhouse early Monday.

In a highly unusual decision Thursday, the province allowed the media to name Cardinal.

“I am satisfied that publication of the name of the accused may be necessary for the proper administration of justice,” wrote Robert Hopkins, acting director of Child, Youth and Family Enhancement.

The decision came after CBC News requested permission to name Cardinal.
The province's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act bans the publication of information that would identify a child or guardian and indicate that the child is receiving or has received services under the act.

The children were in the care of Alberta's Ministry of Children and Youth Services, but were not permanent wards of the state.
The two boys had been living with their mother.
Cardinal faces two counts of first-degree murder. He is still being treated in hospital for injuries, details of which have not been disclosed.

The case will be back in court Jan. 5.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/12/23/edmonton-jason-cardinal-named.html#ixzz18yxWhjb1

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Last Updated:Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Funeral held for boys alledgedly killed by dad
Father charged with 2 counts of 1st-degree murder

An Edmonton mother buried her sons instead of celebrating her youngest boy's fourth birthday on Tuesday.

A funeral service was held on the Kehewin Cree Nation for the boys, who were three and six when they died nine days ago.
Their 31-year-old father has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The boys were found dead in a north Edmonton townhouse early on Monday morning.

Rev. Rene Realuyo, who conducted the service, said before the funeral that he would have a difficult message to deliver.
"They are innocents and you know, it's usually the innocents who suffer the most," Realuyo said.
"And you know, we ask,'Why?' And I'm going really to be honest — there are no answers to those questions."

The boys were living with their mother but Alberta's Ministry of
Children and Youth Services was involved with the family, which means their identities cannot be revealed under provincial law.

The next date in the court case against the father is Jan. 5.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/12/28/edmonton-boys-dead-father-accused-funeral.html#ixzz19S5tYyDB

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Updated: January 05, 2011


Caleb, 6, (left) and Gabriel, 3, Cardinal were allegedly
slain by their father Jason.

An Edmonton man accused of murdering his two young sons just days before Christmas appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.

Jason Bruce Cardinal, 31, shuffled into provincial court for the brief appearance and stood stoically as a lawyer representing him adjourned the case to Feb. 8 in order to get disclosure from the Crown.

The accused killer, who had a shaved head with a beard and was sporting tattoos on his right arm and both sides of his neck, is being held in custody and is being kept separately from other inmates.

The mother of the slain boys, Caleb, six, and Gabriel, nearly four, was also in court and was accompanied by her mother and several other family members. They declined to speak to the media.

There were also several supporters of Cardinal in court, some of whom teared up during the appearance. They also declined to make any comment.

Also in court Wednesday, assistant chief Crown prosecutor Allison Downey-Damato had a publication ban prohibiting identifying the names of the children rescinded.

Police charged Cardinal with two counts of first-degree murder after finding the bodies of the boys in a townhouse near 119 Avenue and Abbotsfield Road on Dec. 19.

Police made the discovery after getting a call to check on the family's welfare. Cardinal was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries he received the night of the incident.

Autopsies were conducted on the boys, but police have said further tests are needed to determine the exact cause of death.

According to court documents from 2008, the mom was to pay nearly $1,000 a month to the dad in support of the children.

The slain kids were living with their mom at the time of the killing, according to the province.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2011/01/05/16769706.html

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Updated: January 14, 2011

Edmonton man found lying between dead sons, court documents allege

EDMONTON — Police allege Jason Cardinal was found lying on a bed between his two dead sons almost 10 hours after a family-support worker reported something appeared amiss at their Edmonton home last month.

The 31-year-old father, whose mental health and treatment of his young children had been a concern for at least 10 months, was groggy and moaning when police officers found him and the children, five days before Christmas, documents show.

Cardinal had two large cuts on his heavily tattooed left forearm. The boys, ages six and three, appeared to have been strangled.

Each boy had a towel twisted around his neck.

Cardinal faces two first-degree murder charges in connection with their deaths.

The actions that took place in the hours before police officers made the terrible discovery last month, five days before Christmas, are detailed in a sworn affidavit used by police to obtain a search warrant for the home.

None of the information contained in the documents has been proven in court.

The documents say Cardinal was the primary custodian of the children in 2008, but when concerns about his mental state — including suicidal thoughts — and alleged poor treatment of the children arose, interim custody was given to their mother.

On Feb. 22, 2010, an apprehension order was granted and the children were taken from their father by Child and Family Services.

An apprehension order is typically granted by a judge.

While the children's mother was caring for the boys, Cardinal was eventually permitted unsupervised visits with them on weekends.

On Dec. 19, 2010, a family support worker, who supervised the children's transportation between their parents, went to the Edmonton townhouse.

The worker arrived around 2:30 p.m. to pick up the boys, say the court documents.

No one answered the door or phone calls to the home. The support worker waited for 30 minutes and left a note in the door for Cardinal to contact him.

The support worker then contacted a crisis unit social worker.

By 7 p.m., no one had heard from Cardinal and the children's mother expressed concern about her sons' safety.

That's when a police officer and a social worker, both from the Edmonton police department's Child at Risk Response Team, went to the home. The door was locked and nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but no one answered their knocks. The note from the support worker remained wedged in the door frame.

The officer at 7:50 p.m. contacted the crisis unit social worker, who obtained an order to enter the home and apprehend the children. The order was granted at 10:47 p.m. by a justice of the peace.

The documents say a social worker asked for police help at the residence at 11:30 p.m. because of Cardinal's history. By midnight, two constables arrived and entered the locked house using a keypad code provided by a social worker.

There was no one on the main floor of the home and no one answered their calls. Some lights were on upstairs and the officers discovered drips of blood leading down a hallway to a second-floor bedroom, according to the documents.

Cardinal and his sons were in the bedroom, a blanket pulled high to their heads as they lay on a bed.

The boys' skin was cold. Neither had a pulse.

Emergency responders who arrived at the house at 12:22 a.m. confirmed the children were dead. Cardinal was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency department, where he started talking.

In their search of the home, police seized several letters, including one labelled as "What Innocence They Had Left," and another labelled "Final Demands," say the court documents. Numerous pills were also found in the home and several other items were seized.

Cardinal is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 8.

The identities of the children who died cannot be revealed under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, due to their contact with Child and Family Services.

Cardinal's name was only made public when the acting director of Child, Youth and Family Enhancement gave consent, saying publication of his name may "be necessary for the proper administration of justice.

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Edmonton+found+lying+between+dead+sons+court+documents+allege/4110055/story.html

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Accused killer also facing fraud charges
March 1, 2011

Jason Bruce Cardinal made a very brief appearance Tuesday morning, where it was revealed that he's also facing fraud charges.

The Crown says they are not related to the murder charges against him.

Cardinal is facing two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the deaths of his two young boys just before Christmas. Cardinal will be back in court on March 15th, 2011.

http://www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/story.aspx?ID=1372529