Former custodial dad charged with killing sons during unsupervised visitation (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

We've posted on this case several times in recent weeks. But the new details show this case is much more than a crazy dad who "snapped" and strangled the kids. Lots of unanswered questions here regarding the court system and Child and Family Services (CFS).

1) How and why did dad JASON CARDINAL become the "primary custodian" (e.g. custodial father) of these two boys in the first place back in 2008, given that he apparently had a history of mental issues (e.g. suicidal thoughts, etc.) and a history of child abuse/neglect (i.e. "poor treatment" of the children)? What judge gave him custody under those circumstances?

2) If in February 2010, there was reason enough for CFS to take these kids away from Daddy, and to (finally) give "interim" (but not permanent) custody to the mother, then what judge thought it was okay to grant this now documentably abusive, crazy father unsupervised weekend visitation? If the mother was apparently an acceptable choice as guardian at this time, then once again we have to wonder how and why the father got initial custody and who gave it to him.

3) Notice that several months later in December 2010, we still have a CFS worker who is "supervising" the transportation of these boys back and forth between the mother and the father. Why was this necessary? If these parents were unable to coordinate transportation on their own because of safety reasons, then doesn't that tell you something?

4) Also note that even when the mother had (totally justifed) "concern" about the boys' safety, it took HOURS for the police to finally break into the house, even with a social worker also having qualms about Dad's "history."

What can we take away from these murders? That once again, judges and social service agencies privileged the "rights" of an abusive, neglectful and apparently mentally ill father over the safety, security and happiness of children. And now two boys have been strangled to death.

So much for poor daddies being discriminated against....

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Dead+boys+found+with+towels+twisted+around+their+necks/4106258/story.html

Dead boys found with towels twisted around their necks

Edmonton man charged with two counts of first-degree murder

By Alexandra Zabjek, edmontonjournal.com January 14, 2011 6:45 AM

EDMONTON — Jason Cardinal was found lying on a bed between his two dead sons almost 10 hours after a family support worker reported something appeared amiss at their Abbottsfield Road home last month.

The 31-year-old father, whose mental health and treatment of his young children had been a concern for at least 10 months, was groggy and moaning when police officers found him and the children, five days before Christmas, documents show.

Cardinal had two large cuts on his heavily tattooed left forearm. The boys, aged six and three, appeared to have been strangled.

Each boy had a towel twisted around his neck.

Cardinal faces two first-degree murder charges in connection with their deaths.

The actions of several parties in the hours before police officers made the terrible discovery are detailed in a sworn affidavit used by police to obtain a search warrant for the home.

None of the information contained in the documents has been proven in court.

The documents show Cardinal was the primary custodian of the children in 2008, but when concerns about his mental state -- including suicidal thoughts -- and alleged poor treatment of the children arose, interim custody was given to their mother.

On Feb. 22, 2010, an apprehension order was granted and the children were taken from their father by Child and Family Services.

An apprehension order is typically granted by a judge.

While the children's mother was caring for the boys, Cardinal was eventually permitted unsupervised visits with them on weekends.

On Dec. 19, 2010, a family support worker, who supervised the children's transportation between their parents, went to the Abbotsfield Road townhouse.

The work arrived around 2:30 p.m. to pick up the boys, say the court documents.

No one answered the door or phone calls to the home. The support worker waited for 30 minutes and left a note in the door for Cardinal to contact him.

The support worker then contacted a crisis unit social worker.

By 7 p.m., no one had heard from Cardinal and the children's mother expressed concern about her sons' safety.

That's when a police officer and a social worker, both from the Edmonton police department's Child at Risk Response Team, went to the home. The door was locked and nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but no one answered their knocks. The note from the support worker remained wedged in the door frame.

The officer at 7:50 p.m. contacted the crisis unit social worker, who obtained an order to enter the home and apprehend the children. The order was granted at 10:47 p.m. by a justice of the peace.

The documents say a social worker asked for police help at the residence at 11:30 p.m. because of Cardinal's history. By midnight, two constables arrived and entered the locked house using a keypad code provided by a social worker.

There was no one on the main floor of the home and no one answered their calls. Some lights were on upstairs and the officers discovered drips of blood leading down a hallway to a second-floor bedroom.

Cardinal and his sons were in the bedroom, a blanket pulled high to their heads as they lay on a bed.

The boys' skin was cold. Neither had a pulse.

Emergency responders who arrived at the house at 12:22 a.m. confirmed the children were dead. Cardinal was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency department, where he started talking.

In their search of the home, police seized several letters, including one labelled as "What Innocence They Had Left," and another labelled "Final Demands," say the court documents. Numerous pills were also found in the home and several other items were seized.

Cardinal is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 8.

The identities of the children who died cannot be revealed under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, due to their contact with Child and Family Services.

Cardinal's name was only made public when the acting director of Child, Youth and Family Enhancement gave consent, saying publication of his name may "be necessary for the proper administration of justice."

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Dead+boys+found+with+towels+twisted+around+their+necks/4106258/story.html#ixzz1B1jnUFEx