The man convicted of murdering seven-year-old Bella Rose Desrosiers in 2020 has had his appeal dismissed. David Moss was found guilty of second-degree murder for killing Desrosiers, the daughter of his friend, with a pair of scissors. He was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 15 years. At trial, Moss admitted to the killing but argued he wasn’t criminally responsible due to psychosis caused by a brain injury. He appealed the trial judge’s ruling, arguing that he should not have been found criminally responsible due a mental disorder caused by a brain injury or that he should have been convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter instead. On Friday, the Court of Appeal of Alberta denied that appeal. According to the memorandum of judgement, the trial judge was not wrong to reject the not criminally responsible defence based on expert testimony that Moss’ psychosis was caused by drug use, rather than a brain injury as argued by the defence. It also found the trial judge did not make an error in charging Moss with murder based on the finding that Moss intended to kill the girl and knew the consequences of his actions. “In conclusion, the appellant has failed to disclose any reviewable error, and the appeal is dismissed,” the memorandum said.
