Quebec daycare worker sentenced to life with no parole for 14 years for killing toddler

A Quebec daycare worker who killed an 18-month-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.

Warning: This story contains details of violence against a child.

A 36-year-old former daycare worker who was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of an 18-month-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.

Tomy Carranza-Ladry was found guilty last month at the Joliette courthouse. In his written decision, Quebec Court Justice Marc-André Blanchard called the homicide a “tragedy” and said the killing was an “abomination.”

“It is for the Court, despite the particularly emotional nature of the situation, to render a judgment based on the applicable legal principles, which require taking into account the specific factual context of each case,” Blanchard wrote.

A publication ban has been placed on the child’s identity.

During the trial, court heard that on Dec. 4, 2023, Carranza-Ladry lost control during a panic attack at a daycare in L’Assomption, which caused him to hit something he described as a hard object.

“He ends up on the floor and, when he regains his senses, he sees that the child is lying on the floor, face down, arms outstretched at shoulder level,” according to the decision.

He testified that he then realized the true nature of the hard object in question — it was the victim.

“Then, saying he is deeply angry with himself, and for a reason that remains unexplained and inexplicable, he grabs the child while he himself is still sitting on the floor,” Blanchard wrote.

“With the child standing in front of him, he violently shook his head back and forth, holding him by the shoulders at neck level with his hands on his collarbones, for about 10 seconds.”

Carranza-Ladry then testified that he struck the child violently in the face with his right hand, on the left side of the child’s head, producing a noise “similar to a large elastic band snapping.”

Blanchard said that, given the verdict, the jury did not believe Carranza-Ladry’s version of events.

“The court does not either. Moreover, we should note that since December 4, 2023, the accused has given at least 10 versions, albeit very brief ones, of the events. Nevertheless, he still acknowledges having caused the child’s death. Only his state of mind remained the question for the jury to decide,” Blanchard noted.

Blanchard also outlined aggravating factors in the case, including the repeated acts of aggression towards the child and Carranza-Ladry’s failure to provide care for the victim or to call 911.

Carranza-Ladry also claimed to have consumed alcohol at the daycare while caring for young children.

In its decision, the court also underscored the pathologist’s conclusion, which noted that the traumatic injuries to the head were severe and fatal. The pathologist was unable to establish the precise number of injuries the child suffered.

“Although accidental mechanisms exist, they are not consistent with the traumatic injuries identified. In other words, the reported accidental traumas, alone or in combination, cannot explain all of the traumatic injuries identified on the head,” the decision stated.

“Thus, a simple reading of the pathologist’s report paints a chilling picture, suggesting the use of considerable force and violence.”

The judge added that Carranza-Ladry’s stated remorse and his mental state also contributed to the sentencing.

The court credited Carranza-Ladry with three years and four months for time served in pre-trial custody, meaning he could apply for parole in 10 years and seven months.

The Crown had requested a 15-year period of parole ineligibility, while the defence argued for 12 years.

‘Justice has been served,’ Crown says

In a written statement sent to CTV News, Crown prosecutor Valérie Michaud said the verdict confirms this was an intentional and violent act, not manslaughter.

“The jury rightly rejected the defence’s argument of diminished capacity, holding this educator fully accountable for the fatal injuries he inflicted on a defenseless 18-month-old child,” she said.

“While we sought a 15-year period of parole ineligibility, the 14-year period handed down today sends a strong message of denunciation. No sentence can ever return this child to his family, but we are satisfied that justice has been served and that the perpetrator is being held fully accountable for the significant and fatal injuries he inflicted.”