Witness at Brandon manslaughter trial pleads with father to admit role in baby's death

Chelsea Kemp · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 8:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A witnesser broke down during the archetypal time of a manslaughter trial, arsenic she demanded the accused admit helium had a relation successful the decease of his 11-week-old daughter.

Keifer Mecas, 34, has pleaded not blameworthy to manslaughter in the 2016 decease of his daughter, Haelin Taylor, in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

Virden RCMP previously said they got a study connected Jan. 4, 2016, of an babe successful aesculapian distress astatine a location connected the First Nation, astir 40 kilometres westbound of Brandon, Man.

The babe was taken to infirmary successful captious information but died from her injuries, RCMP said. They deemed her decease a homicide, and Mecas was charged successful January 2023.

On Wednesday, the archetypal time of his judge-only proceedings astatine Court of King's Bench successful Brandon, Crown witnesser Crystal Taylor, 39, pleaded with Mecas multiple times from the witnesser box, astatine times struggling to talk done tears.

"Just admit it, Keifer — archer them what you did to baby," Taylor cried. "You're sitting determination looking arrogant that you wounded her. Admit it, confess — tell them what you did."

Mecas did not respond.

'My caput conscionable went blank,' parent testifies

She told court that she and Haelin's mother, Kara Taylor, are cousins, but are arsenic adjacent arsenic sisters. She said Haelin seemed healthy before Jan. 4, 2016.

Crystal Taylor told Judge Scott Abel that connected that day, she was attending a memorial successful the assemblage with her parent and Kara, 35, erstwhile they got a telephone telephone from Mecas saying Haelin was not breathing right, and that helium couldn't telephone 911.

Crystal said she called 911 instantly arsenic they raced to Kara's home.

Kara Taylor, Wednesday's past witness, was brought to tribunal nether a warrant.

She said when they arrived astatine the home, they recovered Mecas holding Haelin's limp body. She couldn't archer if her girl was breathing, but she didn't spot immoderate injuries, she testified.

"My caput conscionable went blank aft I conscionable seen her laying determination successful his arms," she said through tears. "She wasn't adjacent awake, she wasn't adjacent crying."

Crystal Taylor besides began to outcry arsenic she testified they arrived to find Mecas walking around, doing thing to assistance his daughter.

"He didn't springiness a f--k about what was going on," arsenic Haelin's lips turned bluish and she struggled to breathe, she testified.

Everyone was panicked arsenic they talked with 911, she told court. They rapidly jumped successful the car, and Mecas and Kara performed CPR connected Haelin arsenic they raced to conscionable an ambulance connected the highway.

"It hurts to deliberation astir doing CPR connected a small baby," Crystal told the court.

As she testified, her aunt came up to connection to clasp her and hitch her back.

Crystal told tribunal they followed the ambulance to the ER successful Brandon. Haelin was airlifted to the Health Sciences Centre successful Winnipeg, wherever she died connected Jan. 23.

'I'm atrocious I wounded her'

Crystal and Kara gave 3 statements to constabulary aft Haelin's death, including a connection aft they alleged they heard Mecas at a enactment successful 2021 confess to hurting the baby.

Crystal told the tribunal that she heard the confession portion helium and Kara were arguing.

Kara told the tribunal she wasn't initially definite who Mecas was referring to. 

"Everybody started to get drunk, and that's erstwhile Keifer started crying," Kara testified. "We were asking what was wrong, and helium said, 'I'm atrocious I wounded her.'"

She yet came to judge helium meant Haelin, starring her to telephone the constabulary successful 2022.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn asked if animosity had built up betwixt antithetic sides of the household since Haelin's decease 9 years ago. Crystal denied that, saying she doesn't truly speech to Mecas's family.

He besides noted Mecas and Kara Taylor had 3 much children aft Haelin's death, and asked if it was imaginable 1 of them was the babe helium referred to astatine the 2021 party.

"You're doing what you tin to marque Mr. Mecas look guilty," Synyshyn said.

Crystal insisted helium was referring to Haelin.

She became visibly frustrated arsenic Synyshyn grilled her astir conflicting statements, and whether her communicative had changed crossed the antithetic statements to constabulary and courts — particularly with respect to Mecas's absorption to the baby's medical distress.

Crystal began crying and asked to permission the court, and successful an outburst, called connected Mecas to admit to wrongdoing, accusing him of showing nary remorse.

A abbreviated recess was called arsenic she began visibly shaking and was escorted extracurricular the courtroom.

When she returned, Synyshyn asked her to clarify her statements astir Mecas's reaction. She responded that she didn't privation to reply immoderate much questions, and asked to permission earlier imploring Mecas again to confess.

"You're inactive sitting there, nary remorse," Crystal cried.

The proceedings resumes Thursday. It is scheduled for six days.