APTN National News
WINNIPEG–The Manitoba Court of Appeal has put a halt to an inquiry exploring the death of five year-old Phoenix Sinclair.
Friday’s ruling suspends the inquiry as it was entering its third day of hearing.
The court ruled that the inquiry should pause while it considers procedural questions around access to transcripts of interviews conducted by inquiry staff of possible witnesses.
The case was launched by the Southern First Nations Network of Care, the General Child and Family Services Authority, the First Nations of Northern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority and Child and Family Services All Nations Coordinated Response Network.
The agencies wanted the transcripts before the hearings began, but only received summaries from the inquiry.
The court said it wanted to hear an explanation for that decision.
Sinclair was murdered by her mother, Samantha Kematch, and stepfather, Karl McKay, who regularly beat and choked her.
Her body was discovered in the bush nine months after she died. Her mother and father collected the little girl’s welfare throughout that time.
Kematch and McKay were convicted of first degree murder in 2008 and sentenced to life in prison without parole for 25 years.
