CANADA • Keagan DAVIS, 2 ~ Oshawa ON

. . .. . .

Mom's ex to stand trial in two-year-old’s death
January 26, 2011

OSHAWA, Ont. - A year after little Keagan's life was taken away, the two-year-old's dad sat in court cringing Wednesday as he listened to a judge describe the injuries that led his son's death.

Across the room the tot's mom, Leigh-Ann Cooper, dabbed her eyes as her former boyfriend, Michael Monckton, was ordered to stand trial for second-degree murder.

"I just can't imagine what he was going through," Davis said of his son outside court, after the preliminary hearing concluded.

"I wish I could have taken away all of that pain from him, so he wouldn't have had to feel it," the still grieving dad said, fighting back tears.

"No two year old should ever have to feel pain like that."

The details of Keagan's injuries and other evidence from the preliminary hearing can't be revealed.

But the crowd packed into the court, some of whom wore "Justice for Keagan" buttons, listened intently as Justice P.J. De Freitas outlined the findings of an autopsy.

Wearing a black striped dress shirt, Monckton sat leaning forward in the prisoner's box, showing little emotion as the judge read out his findings.

DeFritas determined there was enough evidence to commit Monckton to stand trial on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm.

Monckton was with Keagan on Jan. 5, 2010, when he took his last breaths. He was watching the youngster that day while his mom was at work.

It was also Monckton who called 911 and is believed to have been conducting CPR on the boy when paramedics arrived.

"Getting a phone call about your child being in the hospital, you think it will be because he has a broken arm or something," Davis said, recalling that awful day. "I never would have expected it to be this."

He and Cooper were at the hospital when Keagan was pronounced dead about an hour after the 911 call.

Monckton, whose family was also in court Wednesday, was arrested a few days later.

At the time of Monckton's arrest, Cooper spoke publicly in her boyfriend's defence.

"I have seen no proof that would make me believe he did anything wrong to my child," she said. "Nor do I believe that he would ever intentionally do something to hurt Keagan."

Monckton, a millwright who was recently unemployed at the time of his arrest, also has two children of his own with another woman.

His next court appearance is April 8.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/01/26/17048571.html

I searched and couldn't find an update on this case. It's been a year since his arrest so I was wondering when Michael Monckton will go to trial.