Jury begins deliberating in trial of Victoria woman accused of murdering her infant daughter

The fate of Kaela Mehl, a Victoria woman who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, is now in the hands of a jury.

Closing arguments wrapped up Tuesday in the trial of  34-year-old Kaela Mehl.

She is accused of first-degree murder in the death of her 18-month old daughter, Charlotte.

During the trial, court heard that Mehl gave her daughter sleeping pills mixed with yogurt then smothered her with a pillow in September 2015. They also heard she took pills herself but survive.

The Crown said Mehl deliberately planned to kill her daughter, after a long and difficult custody dispute. In an email to her now ex-husband Daniel Cunningham, his parents and their lawyer, the accused wrote “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life fighting a losing battle… I know no other way to protect Charlotte.” Court heard the email was sent before she took her daughter’s life.

The defence said Mehl suffered from a mental illness at the time of her daughter’s death and she feared for Charlotte’s well-being in the hands of Cunningham’s family, in particular his drinking driving record. Defence lawyers also said Mehl was a caring mother who was devastated after her daughter’s death.

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