Mother who suffocated 8-year-old daughter loses appeal of murder conviction - Action News
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British Columbia

Mother who suffocated 8-year-old daughter loses appeal of murder conviction

The B.C. Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed the case of a mother found guilty of suffocating her eight-year-old daughter.

Lisa Batstone was sentenced to life in prison in 2019

Lisa Batstone and her daughter, Teagan, in a picture posted to Facebook in 2014.
Lisa Batstone and her daughter, Teagan, in a picture posted to Facebook in 2014. (Facebook)

The B.C. Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed the case of a mother found guilty of suffocating her eight-year-old daughter.

Surrey, B.C., resident LisaBatstonewas convicted of second-degree murder for smothering her daughter, Teagan, in December 2014.

Batstone, who was 41 at the time, was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 15 years.

She appealed her conviction and sentence after her trial, arguing her mental health issues were not given adequate weight and the judge was wrong to find she had the intent to kill.

In rejectingBatstone's appeal, Justice Richard Goepel said in the ruling released Friday that although the trial judge made three errors in her decision, all were harmless and didn't impact the conclusion that the appellant had the "requisite intent.''

Teagan Batstone is pictured with her father, Gabe Batstone, in an undated photo. (Supplied by Gabe Batstone)

Batstonewas described in her original trial as "deeply devoted to Teagan'' and to the girl's well-being, but she remained bitter over her divorce and blamed her ex-husband for what she believed were her daughter's "separation anxiety and other struggles.''

Lawyers forBatstonehad argued for a manslaughter conviction, but the three-judge panel upheld the lower court decision, ruling "there is nothing in the evidence that suggested that the accused's mental disorders prevented her from forming the subjective intent to kill her daughter.''