Andrea Giesbrecht was found guilty by a Winnipeg judge Monday of concealing the remains of six infants in a storage locker.
Judge Murray Thompson said the Crown's evidence proved not only her concealment of the remains, but also that all six infants were probably born alive.
"Expert opinion is unequivocal. All of these children were likely born alive,” Thompson said to the packed courtroom.
Giesbrecht was arrested in October 2014 after police found the remains in garbage bags and other containers inside a U-Haul storage locker.
Medical experts testified the infants were at or near full term, but were so badly decomposed it could not be determined how they died.
The Crown argued that Giesbrecht took great pains to hide the remains and her pregnancies.
“I find that each of these bodies were not stored for purposes of preservation,” Thompson said. “Rather the only reasonable and logical inference to be made from the manner in which they were packaged, whether they were bagged, sealed, incased in cement or powder, was that it was done in an effort to contain the smell of human decomposition and decay.”
READ MORE: Some infant remains found in locker full term, pathologist tells Giesbrecht trial
U-Haul employees detected a foul smell from Giesbrecht’s storage locker in October 2014 when they took an inventory of its contents because of an overdue bill. Winnipeg police were called and discovered infant remains inside the locker.
Giesbrecht’s trial began in April 2016 and wrapped up in October 2016.
During closing arguments in October, the Crown said it proved beyond a reasonable doubt there was disposal, that the infant remains were concealed and that the babies were likely born alive.
"Ms. Giesbrecht was trying to conceal these remains. She was trying to hide them," said Crown attorney Debbie Buors on Oct. 5. "You can't save human remains."
In her final submissions, Buors told court the Crown believes Giesbrecht hid the remains in a storage locker so they wouldn't be found in her home.
The trial heard from medical experts who testified DNA linked Giesbrecht and her husband, Jeremy Giesbrecht, to the remains.
Jeremy Giesbrecht testified that Andrea Giesbrecht is the only possible person who could be the mother of his children.
The trial heard the remains were found in white garbage bags, wrapped in towels and stored in Rubbermaid containers and pails, which the Crown said suggests an effort was made conceal their existence.
READ MORE: Final arguments begin in trial of Winnipeg woman charged with hiding newborns
Defence lawyer Greg Brodsky argued the Crown hasn't proven there was any disposal of the remains.
"There's a huge difference between concealing and disposing," Brodsky said in October 2016. "The Crown's argument doesn't deal with the word disposal."
"She didn't want the items disposed of. She wanted them kept."
Brodsky told court the concealment has to be for a criminal purpose, not just hiding something from friends and family.
After the verdict was read, the Crown argued Giesbrecht should be taken into custody until sentencing, and the defence disagreed.
Judge Thompson decided Giesbrecht will remain free on bail until she is sentenced. She will continue to live under supervision in the community.
With files from The Canadian Press.
Judge Murray Thompson's written verdict in Andrea Giesbrecht case by CTVWinnipeg on Scribd
