Mother who murdered 8-year-old daughter to spite ex-husband was found cradling the child's body in the boot of her car
A Canadian mother who suffocated her 8-year-old daughter to death was found by the police in the boot of her crashed car, cradling the victim's body.
After Lisa and Gabe Batstone divorced in 2008, they maintained a cordial relationship for the sake of their daughter Teagan. Although Lisa was granted custody of Teagan, Gabe wanted to be involved in his daughter’s life as much as possible.
As a result, even as he moved to Ottawa, and went on to marry his new partner, Stephanie, and Lisa remained behind in Surrey, they worked out a system where Teagan would frequently visit her father and step-family or else Gabe would find time to come down and meet his daughter, Mirror reported.
However, for Lisa, life was less than pleasant. In 2012, she attempted to commit suicide as she struggled with anxiety and depression. Although Teagan temporarily went to stay with her dad at the time, she returned home to Lisa, when she was deemed fit to take care of her daughter.
But Lisa's mental state went from bad to worse. She began bombarding her former husband with bulk texts constantly throughout the week. They began to argue about her irrational behavior but Gabe tried to make it work because of Teagan.
Finally, on December 9, 2014, Lisa told Teagan they were going to have a ‘camp-out’ in their living room. While the little girl was excitedly setting up makeshift beds, Lisa fetched a plastic bag and held it over her daughter’s mouth and nose. After waiting for four to five minutes to ensure she was dead, she prepared to take her own life.
Lisa even left notes like "You win, Gabe" and "You broke me" for people to find in her house. However, she ultimately failed to take her own life. She then decided to drive herself off a cliff or failing that, stab herself to death.
In the early hours of December 10, Gabe received a message from Lisa saying that their daughter was down with the flu and hence, will not be attending school that day.
She then fetched a large kitchen knife, put Teagan's body in the boot of the car and drove off. However, her car ended up crashing in a ditch. "I went and knocked on someone’s door and said, 'Please call the police, my daughter’s dead in the car,'" Lisa later told officers.
She also admitted that she killed her daughter because she wanted to spite her ex-husband and did not want him to get custody of Teagan.
In 2018, she pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder of her daughter. In March this year, Lisa was found guilty and months later was sentenced to serve a minimum of 15 years before she can be considered for parole.