14 Year Old Alberta Girl Gets Maximum

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The girl who can not be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was sentenced to a maximum 10 years. She will spend four years in custody, and four and a half years living in the community. She was given credit for the 18 months she's already served.

She was found guilty in July of first-degree murder in the 2006 deaths of her parents and eight-year-old brother.

CTV News reports, "The circumstances surrounding these murders are horrific,'' Brooker said before sentencing the girl. "It is difficult to imagine a more horrific crime than this.''

A sentencing hearing regarding the girls mental health was held two weeks ago and although the Crown and defence agree the girl has psychiatric problems that require attention the judge said he needed more time and held the sentencing over until Thursday.

Jeremy Steinke was the girls boyfriend at the time of the murders and faces three counts of first-degree murder. He's currently trying to relocate his trial to another city due to the intense publicity surrounding the case.

February 21, 2008 there will be a two-day hearing on a change of venue application for his trial.

CTV News reports, In July, both the Crown and defence agreed that Steinke physically did the killing of the girl's mother, father and brother.

The judge noted, however, that an accused can be found guilty if it's shown they intentionally helped, encouraged or persuaded someone to commit a crime.

The Crown had argued the girl pushed Steinke to kill her family because they disapproved of her relationship with Steinke. She was 12 and he was 23 at the time of the April 2006 killings in the family's home.


71 exhibits and dozens of witnesses to establish that the girl had plotted the murders with Steinke were tabled during the month-long trial.

Meanwhile the defence said the girl didn't want her family killed. She had only discussed it as a "hypothetical" matter with Steinke.

While on the stand however the girl insisted Steinke broke into the house and killed her parents. She did admit she tried to choke her brother and stabbed him once upon Steinke's urging.

The girl and Steinke were arrested in Leader, Sask., Canada.