Nunavut woman accused of killing her child appears at preliminary inquiry

The preliminary inquiry into the charges against Shepa Jar of Coral Harbour are underway this week at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit. Jar faces one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, in connection with a May 2016 stabbing attack. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

The preliminary inquiry in the case against a Coral Harbour woman charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder got underway Monday morning at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit.

Thirty-year-old Shepa Jar, a stocky young woman with cropped hair, wearing a burgundy T-shirt with cut-outs on its sleeves, appeared in court May 22 at the preliminary inquiry, presided over by Justice Bonnie Tulloch.

The charges facing Jar are connected to a knife attack in May 2016, in which her six-year-old daughter died and two other children were injured by stab wounds.

The purpose of a preliminary inquiry is to determine whether there is enough evidence to justify sending a case to trial, and on what charge.

Evidence given at preliminary inquiries may not be published or broadcast until the court has finished dealing with the case.

During the hearing, which could go on until Thursday, about a half a dozen witnesses are expected to testify, Crown lawyer Barry McLaren said.

All but one of the witnesses, the father of Jar’s children, were to be connected to the courtroom by telephone from various locations, including Coral Harbour, Sanikiluaq, and Vancouver, B.C.

At the end of the preliminary hearing, Tulloch will decide whether to commit Jar to trial and on what charge.

Jar was accompanied on Monday by her defence lawyers, Allison Crowe and Sarah White.

During the first hour of the preliminary hearing, two recesses were called as Jar and her children’s father were overcome with emotion. At one point, Jar appeared to vomit into a trash can, prompting a recess.

On May 12, 2016, Jar’s daughter, six, was pronounced dead at the local health centre due to her injuries, while Jar and her two young sons—one aged four and the other five months old—were medevaced to a hospital in Winnipeg.

Jar was charged May 29, after she was released from hospital.

After recovering from their injuries, her two surviving children were placed in the care of family members.