First-degree murder trial begins for woman charged in stepdaughter’s death

TORONTO – A woman accused of killing her stepdaughter was the “mastermind” behind the horrific abuse suffered by the teen, whose body was found in a burning suitcase two decades ago, a Toronto jury heard Thursday.

In opening remarks to jurors, a Crown prosecutor said Elaine Biddersingh turned her stepdaughter’s life into a nightmare when the girl was in her care.

“When the evidence is finished and the puzzle is complete, you will have a clear picture of how Elaine Biddersingh participated in the first-degree murder of her stepdaughter,” Mary Humphrey told the 12-member panel. “We will be asking you to find Elaine Biddersingh guilty.”

Biddersingh has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Melonie.

Jurors were told Melonie’s father, Everton Biddersingh, was found guilty in January of first-degree murder in his daughter’s death, but they were instructed to disregard that conviction as “completely irrelevant” to the case before them.

The girl’s body was found in a burning suitcase in an industrial parking lot north of Toronto in 1994 but went unidentified for years until 2011, when Elaine Biddersingh made a confession to a pastor in St. Catharines, Ont., where she was living at the time.

“She told him that Everton’s daughter came from Jamaica to live with them in Toronto. Everton’s daughter was not fed, was locked in a room, she was sick, she was denied medicine and she died like a dog,” Humphrey said.

“In 1994, she was present when her stepdaughter’s dead body was disposed of. It was her idea to dispose of the body in luggage.”

The jury heard that Elaine Biddersingh also told the pastor Melonie was found dead in the family apartment.

The pastor went to police, DNA testing confirmed Melonie’s identity in 2012 and Biddersingh and her husband were arrested, the trial heard.

Melonie, the jury heard, had come to Canada from Jamaica in 1991 with two brothers to live with her father and her stepmother.

“The three children were very excited to move to Toronto. They dreamed of a better life,” Humphrey said, noting that the children lived in poverty in Jamaica, but had still gone to school. “Those dreams turned into a nightmare.”

Melonie’s younger brother died in an accident in 1992, and Melonie and her older brother Cleon were “treated like slaves,” Humphrey said.

Cleon was forced by his father to deal drugs, Melonie was made to take care of Biddersingh’s baby, both had to do household chores and weren’t sent to school, Humphrey said.

Cleon, who will be called as a key Crown witness, will testify about the way in which Melonie’s abuse worsened over time, Humphrey said.

“Cleon will describe how Elaine was the mastermind behind the abuse and Everton was the enforcer,” she said. “Melonie was beaten, she was starved, she was confined in the apartment.”

Biddersingh was involved in depriving Melonie of food and would call her names, the jury heard.

“She said that she was possessed by the devil, she was evil, she was cursed,” Humphrey said. “Melonie was forced to sleep on the floor in the living room on a piece of cardboard.”

Biddersingh also spit on Melonie, hit her head against the wall and once threw a mug at the girl’s head with such force that it broke, the jury was told.

“Melonie became thinner and weaker as a result of the physical abuse and food deprivation,” Humphrey said. “She was in pain and had difficulty moving around.”

Despite her deteriorating condition, which included later becoming incontinent, Melonie wasn’t provided medical attention, Humphrey said.

At one point, the girl tried to run away and was chained to the furniture after her attempt, the jury heard.

“Melonie told Cleon she wished she was dead,” Humphrey said. “She couldn’t take it anymore.”

One night, Melonie’s father woke Cleon to tell him the girl had run away and he and Elaine were going to look for her, Humphrey said. When the couple returned hours later, “they were angry, they were panicking,” and told Cleon to dispose of the cardboard Melonie slept on and the chains used to confine her.

“Everton told family and friends Melonie had run away,” Humphrey said. “Elaine was with Everton when he told everyone this lie. She never corrected him.”

Medical evidence that will be called in the trial is expected to indicate Melonie drowned or nearly drowned, inhaling water shortly before her death, Humphrey said.

It will also show that Melonie was severely malnourished and had 21 healing fractures at the time she died.