Stepmother of girl found dead in Granby charged with 2nd-degree murder

The stepmother of a seven-year-old Granby girl who died in April has been charged with second-degree murder and the father has been charged with criminal negligence causing death.

The charges were laid Friday in Granby court.

The woman was previously chargedwith forcible confinement and aggravated assault, while the father had been charged with forcible confinement and failure to provide thenecessaries of life.

Both have been denied bail.

The girl died in hospital April 29, after being found in critical condition at her father's home in Granby.

Autopsy led to new charges

ProsecutorLaurence Blangersays the autopsy report, completed recently, led to the new charges.

"That was a really important part for us to have in order to determine the responsibility of the accused,"Blangertold reporters Friday.

"We needed to have a complete case in order to determine what was the responsibility of the woman and the man in the file."

The couple's identities are subject to a publication ban to protect the child's identity.

The woman hid her face in her hair when the charges were read in court.

The couple are expected back in court Aug. 27.

TheQuebecgovernment ordered a coroner's inquest into the death of the girl, whohad a long history ofinvolvement with the youth protection system.