“Maélie, my princess, I love you for life,” Steve Augusto-Nogueira sobbed. This cry from the heart is that of a father whose 6-year-old daughter was snatched from him in the most horrific way: stabbed 80 times by her own mother. Stéphanie Brossoit was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for her “irreparable gesture”.
Posted at 6:00 p.m
“The description of Maélie’s death is chilling. There are no words strong enough to describe the horrific nature of what the little girl endured on the night of July 23rd. The death of a fragile, innocent child just beginning life is heartbreaking and even shocking. It is a drama of incredible sadness,” judge Yvan Poulin confirmed the parties’ joint proposal.
Maélie Brossoit-Nogueira’s father, big sister and grandmother gave heartbreaking testimonies during the hearing on Stéphanie Brossoit’s sentencing on Thursday. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter earlier this month when her murder trial was due to begin.
In a state of psychosis after taking a cocktail of drugs and medication, Stéphanie Brossoit stabbed her daughter with two knives on July 23, 2020. Eighty shots were fired in multiple rooms of an East Montreal apartment. During the attack, the girl fled to the bathroom, but her mother broke down the door to continue stabbing her.
“Mom, don’t you want me to die? ‘ asked Maélie during the attack. “Well no, baby,” his mother then replied, according to his account.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY VICTIM’S FAMILY
The victim and his mother Stéphanie Brossoit
Steve Augusto-Nogueira described his “little Maélie” as an ever-smiling little girl with her life ahead of her. “Unfortunately, it’s not a nightmare. I would have loved to stop you from leaving. I have no words to express how painful your absence is, how I wish I could have hugged you and told you everything will be fine,” the man breathed, his voice broken.
Maélie’s older sister is still suffering serious consequences three years later. “I was extremely injured and am still suffering a lot. I not only lost a sister, but also a mother. […] In my eyes, she is no longer a mother,” said the young woman.
“I’m trying to find inner peace, to give myself a second chance to live the life I deserve. But it’s extremely difficult. […] My little sister will never have the chance to grow up and be the woman she wanted to be. […] I will always miss a part of me,” she added.
“An Endless Nightmare”
During the hearing, Stéphanie Brossoit read a moving letter in tears. “None of this just makes no sense!” I am so sorry ! How sorry I am! she gasped. “That person wasn’t me! »
Having “committed the irreparable”, Maélie’s mother says she is living through “the worst nightmare imaginable”. Her “gift from heaven,” her “ray of sunshine,” her daughter of whom she was “so proud,” killed her. “I was never satisfied with you, my darling,” sobbed Stéphanie Brossoit.
You’re gone, you’re in paradise, I’m trapped in this endless nightmare. Keep shining in the sky, my Maélie.
Stephanie Brosoit
According to psychiatrists, Stéphanie Brossoit was “in a state of intoxication that altered and disrupted her perception of reality”. She had used speed, a whole cake of cannabis, GHB and a drug.
According to the admitted facts, she woke up in “another dimension” and heard voices. “I felt like someone was talking to me. […] I hurt him with the knife. I don’t know why I did that,” she said a few hours after the fact.
“We’re talking about a toxic psychosis, we’re not talking about a voluntary event,” said his attorney Me Elfriede Duclervil, who stressed that this violence was unpredictable.
Stéphanie Brossoit explained that she got into drugs in a shelter for battered women. Beaten by her then-spouse, she “often” ended up in hospital with injuries.
The parties submitted a joint 10-year motion alleging the defendant’s “excessively careless” drinking. The public prosecutor’s office noted his sincere remorse and his beginning rehabilitation as mitigating factors. “This extreme violence deserves to be strongly denounced,” pleaded prosecutor Simon Lapierre.
That 10-year sentence may seem “mild” at first glance, Judge Poulin agreed. However, it is a “reasonable” punishment under the circumstances. “No sentence can bring Maélie back,” he recalled, emphasizing the “courage” and “strength” of those close to him.
Stéphanie Brossoit’s sentence is six years, taking into account the time she spent in preventive detention.