Defence Opens with Testimony from One of the Accused

With Ezekiel appearing to get better, David left on a business trip and they stopped the home remedies. While away, he testified that Collet informed him over the phone that Ezekiel started to get worse again after going to a parent pre-school class. They suspected it was simply too much activity before he was fully recovered, and that he may have gotten something new from another child. When David returned home, Ezekiel showed what looked like symptoms of the flu, so he gave him a mixture of apple cider vinegar, ginger root, hot peppers, garlic, horseradish and the olive leaf extract. He said that, once again, Ezekiel started to improve and they discontinued the treatment.

When his condition again started to decline, David said they discussed taking the child to a doctor, but that Collet suggested she have her friend, who is a registered nurse, take a look at him first.

David explained that Terrie Meynders made a “brief mention” of meningitis, but said that all of Ezekiel’s vitals looked good. He noted that at the time, he knew nothing about the illness. Based on that information, Collet did some research and they concluded that if it was meningitis, it was likely the less serious viral form. He stated that her research showed that bacterial meningitis was faster acting than what they saw, and that Ezekiel didn’t have a fever or apparent seizures. He added that Meynders also agreed with his belief, that a hospital would have dismissed Ezekiel’s symptoms and turned them away.

The next day the family had to go into Lethbridge from their home near Glenwood. David told the court that Ezekiel looked uncomfortable when put into his car seat, so they decided to place a foam mat in the back of the vehicle for him lay on. Once in Lethbridge, they picked up a product from a naturopathic clinic, and again David said Ezekiel showed signs of improvement and more energy .

After returning home Ezekiel fell asleep, and David stated, “There were no signs at all of any illness.” Later that night Ezekiel’s breathing became irregular and he ultimately stopped breathing completely, prompting them to call 911. It would later be confirmed that Ezekiel died of bacterial meningitis.

The Stephan’s lawyer took some time to ask David about the first statement he made to police, after Ezekiel was transported to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. David acknowledged that in the statement he seemed to know a great deal about meningitis, however he explained that he had been speaking to doctors about it leading up to his talk with police, and that it was all new information.

He also touched on a comment they made to police about Collet’s observation that Ezekiel had been pulling at his diaper, an action she called “neurological” in the interview. He said it came up because a doctor told them there had been signs of seizures, so they provided the example in an effort to give them as much information as possible.

The Crown will begin cross examination of David on Tuesday.

by Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Defence Opens with Testimony from One of the Accused

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