Alex Radita 'should never have died,' RCMP officer testifies at murder trial

The RCMP officerinvolved in investigating the parents ofAlex Raditasays she is angry the system failed the 15-year-oldfound dead inside hisCalgary home.

• 'There was a lot of conflict' between Alex Radita's parents and hospital staff, doctor testifies
• 'Alex was failed on so many levels,' says teen's heartbroken teacher at parents' murder trial

Rodicaand EmilRaditaare on trial for first-degree murder after their 37-poundson was found dead in his bed.

Charlene Beck is a retired RCMP member who investigated the Raditas beginning in 2003 after Alex was brought to hospital near death whenhis parents failed to treat his diabetes.

"He should never have died," she told CBC Newsafter her testimony on Wednesday.

B.C. background

Alex was diagnosed with diabetes at age three when theRaditaslived inSurrey, B.C., and washospitalizedthree times before social services seized the boy for a year because his parents refused to accept his diagnosis and treat him.

While testifying about the condition Alex was in when she first saw the four-year-old in a B.C. hospital, Beck had to hold back tears.

"In my career I have neverseen achild in such a state," said Beck. "He couldn't lift his head, he couldn't lift his arms, he couldn't lift his legs."

"He was a skeleton. He talked in very, very, very quiet whispers."

Beck interviewed Alex in June 2004 at the Surrey RCMP detachment after he was placed with a foster mother.

"Had I not been there to see it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it was the same child," said Beck. "He was chubby, happy, non-stop talkative, he couldn't sit down."

Though they were initially facing criminal charges related to Alex's hospitalization, those charges were dropped because Alex was returned to his parents and the prosecution found there wasn't a reasonable likelihood of conviction.

Move to Alberta

In2008, the Raditas failed to show up for one of Alex's doctor's appointments. An investigation was launched but the Raditas could not be found. It was later discovered they'd moved to Alberta.

When lead homicide detective Matt Demarino contacted Beck, she says she knew right away why he was calling.

"Before he even told me I knew that Alex was dead."

Knowing the course Alex's life took after B.C. authorities had dealings with the Raditas has left Beck with strong feelings.

"[I'm] angry angry that he wasn't monitored, angry that we have a system in Canada that doesn't allow cross-provincial information sharing at the touch of a button with the technology we have today," said Beck."It's insane.

"There's no way he should have been able to slip through the system like that, there's no excuse for it."

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Karen Horner has yet to rule on the admissibility of the B.C. evidence.

• MORE COURT NEWS |Arthur Kent 'feeling a measure of vindication' after winning Postmedia defamation lawsuit
• MORE COURT NEWS |'All I can remember is being hit in the face,' says accused in Calgary teen's death