A woman has been charged as an accessory after a murder suspect in Brampton, Ontario was found with her. The suspect, Anthony Deschepper, was fleeing the scene of a fatal shooting with his one-year-old daughter when the woman, aged 36 and associated with Brampton and Niagara Falls, was discovered in the same vehicle. She was either Deschepper’s former or current girlfriend. Deschepper was shot dead by a police officer in Niagara Falls.
Deschepper, 38, was set to face trial next year on firearm charges related to a previous incident involving the same woman who was later killed in Brampton. The accused denied the allegations and intended to challenge them in court, according to criminal defense lawyer Andrew Edgar.
The victim, identified by family members as 29-year-old Savannah Kulla, was fatally shot in a parking lot in Brampton. Deschepper fled the scene with his child but later surrendered the child to relatives. He was found with the woman in a Chevrolet.
Deschepper was killed following an encounter with the police and was pronounced dead at the scene. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit reported the incident.
Advocates are calling for more actions to prevent femicide, emphasizing the need for better protection measures outside the justice system. Rebecca Pacheco of Embrave Agency to End Violence expressed sorrow over the tragedy and highlighted the systemic issues contributing to gender-based violence.
Nneka MacGregor, co-founder of the Women’s Centre for Social Justice, stressed the preventable nature of femicide and the importance of addressing known risk factors to protect individuals from such tragedies.