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Published Nov 01, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 2 minute read
Cameron Kay was found guilty of manslaughter by a London jury on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, in the March 2021 death of his three-month-old daughter Aislinn Easton-Kay. (Facebook/Remembering Aislinn)
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Editor’s note: This story contains details that may be upsetting to some readers
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A London man has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of his newborn daughter, after an emotional, week-long trial.
The jury returned a guilty verdict in Ontario Superior Court after more than seven hours of deliberations Wednesday.
Cameron Kay, who had pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter in the March 2021 death of his three-month-old daughter Aislinn Easton-Kay, stood in a grey dress shirt staring straight ahead as the verdict was read.
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He later took his seat at the defence table, staring down, before burying his head in his arms.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas ordered a pre-sentence report in advance of a hearing on Nov. 14 to set a date for sentencing.
Kay was not remanded into custody following the verdict Wednesday evening.
“He has family support here, but that has to continue,” Thomas told defence counsel.
The previous court-ordered publication ban on the identity of the deceased was lifted by Thomas after the jury delivered its verdict.
The jury has heard testimony from several Crown witnesses, including Aislinn’s maternal grandmother, investigating officers, an expert neuropathologist and the forensic pathologist who completed the autopsy. The defence did not call any witnesses.
The court has heard Aislinn was left with Kay by her mother the morning of March 16, 2021. Aislinn was irritable and “inconsolable” before becoming unresponsive. In a video interview with police, Kay – who was coming off a night shift the evening before – admitted to squeezing and jumping around with the infant before noticing she was in medical distress.
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Kay admitted to police he was tired and got frustrated with the fussy baby. He told first responders she had choked on her bottle.
The girl underwent various resuscitation efforts, first by family at her Boullee Street home, then by police, firefighters and paramedics. She died in a London hospital days later.
The court has heard expert testimony that Aislinn had various bruises to her neck and scalp, identified during her hospital stay and at the post-mortem examination. Many of the traumas on the infant’s body were “blunt force” soft tissue injuries. She had no fractures to her skull or limbs and no internal injuries to her neck.
The jury began deliberations shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday morning after Justice Thomas concluded his charge, a detailed address instructing jurors on the law and how they are to apply it to the evidence in the case.
The Crown and defence presented closing arguments Tuesday morning.
The Crown alleged that Kay assaulted Aislinn, causing her death. The Crown contended a reasonable person in his situation would have known his actions put her at risk of bodily harm.
During the trail, the defence argued there was insufficient evidence that Kay’s actions caused his daughter’s injuries and death. Alternatively, Kay’s actions were not so dangerous that bodily harm could reasonably have been expected.
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