Baby Alex's Family, Police Relieved at Guilty Verdict

Friday, 29 June 2012 07:34

For the first time in over 3-and-a-half-years, Bonita Purtill will spend the night behind bars. The 48-year-old was convicted this afternoon of all six counts she faced for killing 4-month-old Alexander Fleming in a drunk driving crash, Thanksgiving 2008. Baby Alex's family members smiled and nodded their heads in approval of the verdict. The counts included impaired driving causing death and bodily harm, criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm, and refusing to provide a breath sample. Justice Kelly Gorman said given the presumption of innocence has been stricken, and a previous drunk driving conviction in 1987, she ordered Purtill be remanded in custody. Family members stood and watched as Purtill was cuffed and led out of court. She was stone faced throughout the reading of the verdict, showing no emotion. Baby Alex's mother, Mary Rodrigues wasn't surprised. "She has no emotion whatsoever. It's like she has no regrets for what she's done. When she was asked her reasoning to moving back in, in 2008 with Bob Colwell, and her reaction was 'It was the stupidest mistake I ever made in my life.', I'm sorry, how does that compare to the death of a child?" Purtill will face a sentencing hearing on September 7th. Woodstock Police Chief Rod Freeman says the decision on a penalty is up to the judge, but expects the conviction will carry a heavy sentence. "We're very pleased the jury came back with convictions on all six counts, in relation to the very tragic death of Alexander Fleming, 4-months-old. Some of these offences have maximum penalties of 10-14-years, life imprisonment. They're very serious criminal offences." But while Purtill is going to prison for her decisions that cost a life, still in its infancy, Rodrigues says their family is still coming to grips with the loss of baby Alex. Rodrigues reflected on how her surviving two boys, who are 7 and 8, Ethan and Max, will react to the news. "They're at an age where their maturity level of understanding concepts like 'forever', still isn't quite there, you know the fact that Alex is gone 'forever'. Obviously they don't understand what impaired is. As far as they know, a woman killed baby Alex, and now we get to go home and tell them that she's never going to hurt us anymore."