Testimony Continues At Walmart Birth Trial
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 at 15:22
The stepfather of the woman accused of abandoning her baby in a Walmart washroom took the stand today at the suspect’s child abandonment trial in Prince Albert.
Kennetch Charlette testified he has known April Halkett for approximately three years.
He said that is when he first began seeing her mother and getting to know the family.
Charlette said that before the incident occurred, he suspected Halkett was pregnant, but when he asked her, she told him that was impossible because she was still on her “moon time”.
However, after the incident occurred, Charlette said he discovered that police were searching for her.
He testified he found Halkett and her mother crying on the bed together, and that’s when he knew the story was true.
Charlette said that Halkett has done a lot of good work to stay in contact with the baby, and he thinks the two of them should stay together.
He added that mainstream society tends to forget how important it is for Aboriginal families to stick together.
The other witness to take the stand this morning said the baby boy was so cold when he was first brought to him that he couldn’t read the infant’s temperature.
Dr. Iaz Ramji was the pediatrician on call when the baby arrived at the hospital.
He told court that he and his team performed aggressive warming techniques to get the baby’s temperature up and put in a breathing tube.
Ramji estimated the infant was born one month premature, and that he weighed 2.8 kilograms, or roughly six pounds.