TORONTO — A coroner's inquest into the death of a seven-year-old Toronto girl killed by her guardians is weighing whether to include police reports involving the couple as evidence.
Police on Friday turned over nearly 1,000 pages of documents detailing past interactions with Donna Irving and Warren Johnson, including domestic incidents during their relationship and with previous partners.
The documents were requested in a notice of motion filed last week by the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, which argued the reports provide crucial information that will help understand the circumstances that led to Katelynn Sampson's death in 2008.
The advocate's lawyer, Freya Kristjanson, now says only a few records — four involving Irving in a household where children were present, and more than a dozen involving the pair in a household without children — need to be included in the proceedings.
Most parties expressed some support for the motion, although some raised concerns that including the reports would lengthen the inquest or broaden it beyond its original scope.
The inquest has heard that two child welfare organizations — the Children's Aid Society of Toronto and Native Child and Family Services — were contacted about Katelynn or had dealings with her guardians while she was living with them.
Katelynn's mother, Bernice Sampson, was addicted to crack and gave her daughter to Irving and Johnson in a misguided attempt to give Katelynn a better life. Sampson's other children had already become wards of the Crown and she did not want to lose access to Katelynn in the same way.
It was later revealed that a judge granted custody to Irving despite her criminal convictions for prostitution, drugs and violence. Johnson also had several convictions.
Katelynn was beaten for months and died from septic shock on Aug. 3, 2008.
The couple pleaded guilty three years ago of second-degree murder in the girl's death and were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.
The Children's Aid Society is expected to testify at the inquest later Tuesday.
