Storage locker babies: Accused’s son testifies he never saw his mother pregnant

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WINNIPEG — A woman accused of hiding the remains of six infants in a storage locker never appeared to be pregnant, her adult son testified Monday.

The son, who cannot be identified under a court-ordered publication ban, also said many women visited the family’s Winnipeg home over the years — a statement under cross-examination that could cast doubt on a key piece of DNA evidence in the Crown’s case against Andrea Giesbrecht.

Giesbrecht, 42, was arrested in October 2014 after the remains were found in plastic pails, bins and other containers in a U-Haul locker she had rented. The judge-only trial has already heard it is unclear how long the remains had been there, but some were very decomposed.

Medical experts have testified that the infants were at or near full term and were likely to have been born alive.

The Crown has also put forward evidence from an RCMP forensic biologist, who testified that DNA from the remains matched that of Giesbrecht’s husband and a soiled sanitary napkin seized from a bathroom in the Giesbrecht home.

Defence lawyer Greg Brodsky asked the son questions about other women who had been in the home where the Giesbrechts lived for more than a decade.

“There have been women, girls in the house?” Brodsky asked.

“Yes,” the son replied.

“You’ve had parties? Like Thanksgiving dinner?” Brodsky followed up.

“Yes,” the son replied again.

There were two bathrooms in the home, and guests frequently used the master bedroom ensuite because the main floor washroom had plumbing problems, the son testified.

When asked by the Crown, and later Brodsky, whether he had ever seen his mother pregnant, the son replied “no.”

In April, a former friend and co-worker of Giesbrecht testified that Giesbrecht hid a 1997 pregnancy from friends and family by wearing baggy clothing and frequently talked about self-aborting. Court was also told Giesbrecht had 10 legal abortions between 1994 and 2011.

Earlier Monday, the trial heard from the manager of another storage company that Giesbrecht used between 1999 and 2010.

Karen Bodoano said Giesbrecht initially rented a sizable, heated locker but had only a few items inside, such as pails and plastic bins. Bodoano testified it was unusual for someone to keep such a small amount of items in such a large locker.

Giesbrecht’s husband is expected to testify this week, but had harsh words with Crown attorneys in the courtroom during a break.

“We have the right not to answer your questions,” Jeremy Giesbrecht said loudly before a sheriff’s officer was called in to monitor the situation.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

©2016 The Canadian Press