A Cape Breton, North Carolina, man has been convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend and leaving their seven-month-old daughters to fend for themselves for three days alone in a nursery.
Dwight Austin Isadore received 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of Cassidy Jean Bernard and the abandonment of her twin girls.
Isadore admitted to punching Bernard, hitting her in the neck, back and stomach. He believed he hit her 10 times as hard as possible.
“I’m really happy that my daughter has justice and little girls have justice,” Cassidy’s mother, Mona Bernard, said outside the courtroom. “I just [have] to learn to live without her. It was really hard. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat. I lost many things; I lost myself, that’s what it was.”
On Wednesday, members of Bernard’s family gave victim impact statements in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Isadore is not welcome in We’koma’q
We’koma’q Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley spoke in court on behalf of her community, saying her cousin’s death had shaken them. Bernard-Daisley also warned Isadore that he would no longer be welcome in We’koma’q after his release.
“We’koma’q was a place of peace,” she said. “We’koma’q was hurt, saddened, shocked and robbed.”
Another woman said she now suffers from PTSD, panic disorder and anxiety after finding Bernard’s body and the children in the cot next to her.
Cassidy Bernard was the mother of two young girls. (Facebook)
Associate Chief Justice Patrick Duncan said the damage done in this case “doesn’t end” with Bernard’s death.
“All these people had to find ways to deal with this trauma, this life-changing experience,” he said. “And we hope that they can find their peace.”
Duncan said he hopes Isadore can get better before returning to society. He accepted the joint Crown and defense recommendation that Isador receive a 15-year sentence for manslaughter and three consecutive years for child abandonment, with credit for time spent in custody.
Luck saved twins
Crown attorney Peter Harrison said Bernard’s twin girls survived only “thanks to luck, not good planning,” noting that Isadore received one of the harshest sentences handed down in Canada for child abandonment.
“[It] recognizes the significant aggravating factors that were present in this case,” Harrison said.
Isadore was originally charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded guilty last month to the lesser charge.
He was arrested just over a year after Bernard’s death following a six-month operation known as Operation Mr. Golem, in which Isadore was introduced to several undercover officers who played various roles in a bogus crime ring.
Although that evidence was not tested at trial, Crown lawyers say they are confident it would have been admissible in this case.
Isadore’s attorney said his client is remorseful for what happened, but admitted nothing will bring Cassidy back.
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