Winnipeg’s police chief said he is disappointed that a jury acquitted a man accused of killing 15-year-old Tina Fontaine and dumping her body in a river, but said her legacy will be the systemic reform that followed her premature death.
Raymond Cormier, 56, was found not guilty of second-degree murder in connection with Tina’s 2014 death. The verdict sparked “Justice for Tina” protests across the country, with critics accusing several systems of failing Tina each step of the way.
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said the jury’s decision last week wasn’t what he’d hoped for.
“I can say that I am disappointed with the verdict and I frankly hoped for a different outcome,” Smyth told a police board meeting Friday.
Smyth defended the evidence that led police to arrest and charge Cormier, but said the jury required a “different standard” to find him guilty.
“Frankly, I wish we could’ve brought forward additional or more compelling evidence. Frankly, we did our best on this one,” Smyth said.
Regardless, Smyth expressed thanks to the officers who worked diligently on the investigation and the prosecutors who took the case to court.
"If not anything else, this trial provided transparency," Smyth said. "The community was able to learn about the investigation. They were able to see evidence and learn about the circumstances that led up to Tina's death."
He added that “pretty significant reforms” in child care have followed Tina’s death. For example, vulnerable children waiting to get into foster care are no longer permitted to stay in hotels, as Tina did.
Smyth said other systems are looking into how they failed the girl, and what more can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“I think, at the end, that will be her legacy,” he said.
It’s still unclear how Fontaine died. Her body was found in the Red River, wrapped in a duvet and weighted down with rocks. During the trial, a pathologist testified that the nature of her death seemed suspicious because of the way her body was found.
There was no DNA evidence linking Tina to Cormier, and doctors testified that they could not conclusively determine how she died.
The jury was told that Cormier befriended Tina and her boyfriend and gave them a place to stay. Cormier also had sex with Tina and gave her drugs.
Tina grew with her great-aunt on the Sagkeeng First Nation, northeast of Winnipeg. After travelling to Winnipeg to visit her mother in June 2014, Tina spent time on the streets and was sexually exploited.
Three months after arriving in Winnipeg, Tina disappeared. She was last seen leaving a hotel in downtown Winnipeg in August. At the time, she told a private contract worker working for child welfare that she was headed to a shopping centre with her friends.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Winnipeg
