Collet (left) and David (right) Stephan outside of the Lethbridge Courthouse in 2016. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By The Canadian Press

Supreme Court won’t hear appeal by Lethbridge parents who have faced two trials in son’s death

Aug 4, 2022 | 12:11 PM

OTTAWA, ON — The Supreme Court of Canada won’t hear an appeal in a high-profile Lethbridge, Alberta case that saw a couple tried twice in the death of their sick toddler.

David and Collet Stephan were accused of not seeking medical attention sooner for their 18-month-old son before he died in 2012.

They testified that they were treating the boy with natural remedies for what they thought was croup.

A jury convicted them in 2016 of failing to provide the necessities of life, but the Supreme Court of Canada overturned that verdict and ordered a second trial.

A judge hearing the second trial without a jury found them not guilty in 2019.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

In March 2021, the Alberta Court of Appeal granted a request by the Crown to overturn that acquittal and ordered another trial.

Crown prosecutors then stayed charges against the Stephans in June 2021, but the application seeking leave to appeal the decision on a third trial was already submitted to the Supreme Court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2022.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now coverage on the series of trials for David and Collet Stephan.