British Columbia – A woman serving a life sentence for the murder of her eight-year-old daughter has died in custody at the Fraser Valley Institution in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Lisa Batstone, 50, passed away on January 1, according to a news release from the Correctional Service Canada. The cause of death has not been disclosed, but an internal investigation has been initiated, as is standard procedure for all in-custody deaths.
Four years ago, Batstone was found guilty of second-degree murder for suffocating her daughter, Teagan Batstone, in 2014, and was sentenced to life with a non-parole period of 15 years. The decision was upheld on appeal.
During the trial, it was revealed that Batstone had written a letter at the time of the killing, blaming her ex-husband for her actions. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Murray emphasized the need to send a strong message to warring parents who might use their children as weapons.
Batstone’s lawyers claimed she had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was suffering from anxiety at the time of the murder. However, Justice Murray stated that those factors did not diminish her moral culpability in planning and committing such a heinous act.
The court heard that Batstone held a plastic bag over Teagan’s nose and mouth for four to five minutes, and then attempted to take her own life. A resident who called 911 found Batstone in the trunk, cradling Teagan’s body and sobbing, with a superficial wound to her neck. Batstone admitted to suffocating her daughter, and the sole issue in the murder trial was whether the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she had intended to cause Teagan’s death.
After the murder, Batstone left a note accusing her ex-husband of mental and emotional abuse. She had previously attempted suicide in the spring of 2012. Her claims against her ex-husband have not been substantiated.
The appeal ruling described Batstone as a loving and devoted mother with no criminal record or history of violence prior to the murder. All investigations of the death and the circumstances leading up to it are ongoing.