We’koqma’q woman from first nation was beaten by father of young daughters and put to bed after fainting, a court in Nova Scotia heard on Monday when Dwight Austin Isadore pleaded guilty to manslaughter the young mother.
Isador was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Cassidy Bernard in October 2018, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on Monday in Port Hawkesbury.
“It’s sweet and bitter because you know nothing will bring Cassidy back,” said Bernard’s cousin Annie Bernard-Daisley, We’koqma’q’s boss.
“You had a national inquiry [into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls] and you have 231 appeals to justice to fix, fix, change the relations with the indigenous people in this country … Today is an excellent example that this relationship can be repaired. “
According to an agreed statement of facts, Isadore and his girlfriend had been arguing with text messages in the days before her death.
The couple began dating in early 2017, and their relationship has often been affected by episodes of domestic violence and drug abuse.
Bernard’s last message to Isadore was that she accepted that the relationship was over and was ready to move on, even though she didn’t necessarily want to.
The Wagmatcook man showed up at Bernard’s home unexpectedly in the early morning hours of October 21, 2018.
He admitted to a police officer that he punched Bernard in the neck, back and stomach. He also believed that he hit her approximately 10 times in the head, face and neck as hard as possible.
After Bernard fell silent, Isadore said he had tried to wake her. When she couldn’t wake up, Isadore said she took Bernard to her room, put her to bed, and tried to cover her bruises with makeup. He also erased his fingerprints and left their twin daughters in their crib.
When he returned home, Isadore said he had burned the make-up used on Bernard.
The arrest was made a year later
Bernard’s body was found in her home three days later. Bernard’s seven-month-old twins were found in the domestic cold, severely dehydrated, malnourished, disoriented and confused.
They were found with blue lips and heavily soiled diapers.
The RCMP arrested Isadore just over a year after Bernard’s death.
The arrest was followed by a six-month sting known as Operation Big, in which Isadore is portrayed by several undercover police officers who play various roles within a fake criminal organization.
The purpose of the sting was to get Isadore, their main suspect, to provide information about Bernard’s death.
In November 2019, after about 17 interactions with the undercover police, Isador was given the opportunity to meet an undercover officer posing as an alleged criminal boss.
In a secretly recorded conversation, Isadore admitted that he had attacked Bernard and that Bernard had stabbed him in the arm during their argument. Toxicological reports for Bernard do not indicate the presence of drugs in her system.
Crown attorneys said the RCMP’s investigation technique is a key tool for achieving justice for the family.
“But for Operation Mr. Big and the evidence gathered from this investigation, including his confessions, it is unlikely that anyone has been charged with the death of Ms. Bernard,” said Crown Prosecutor Glenn Guthrie.
The verdict is scheduled for July 6
In addition to manslaughter, Isadore also pleaded guilty to abandoning his young daughters.
Isadora is due to return to court on July 6 in Port Hawkesbury for sentencing.
Bernard’s death sparked a series of marches and rallies in Cape Breton to draw attention to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls across the country.
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