Final arguments begin in trial of Winnipeg woman charged with hiding newborns

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ File

Closing arguments are to begin this morning in the trial of Andrea Giesbrecht, a Winnipeg woman charged with hiding the remains of six infants in a storage locker.

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg woman took great pains to hide the remains of six infants, who were likely born alive, a courtroom was told Wednesday.

Crown attorney Debbie Buors painted Andrea Giesbrecht as a deceptive and calculating woman who tried to keep her dark secret from friends and family.

Giesbrecht is on trial for six counts of concealing human remains. The 42-year-old was arrested in October 2014, after the remains were found inside garbage bags and other containers in a U-Haul storage locker.

"Clearly she had control and possession of these human remains," Buors said in her closing argument.

"There is overwhelming evidence that Andrea Giesbrecht is the person who had sole control of the storage locker."

The trial earlier heard from Giesbrecht's friends and relatives, who testified she hid her pregnancies by wearing baggy clothes.

Medical experts testified the infants were at or near full term and were probably born alive, but the remains were so decomposed it was impossible to determine a cause of death.

Giesbrecht used detergent and cement in some of the containers "to mask the smell of these remains so that employees of U-Haul wouldn't become suspicious," Buors told the court.

Buors said towels, blankets and other household items included with the remains show that the infants were likely born at Giesbrecht's home then taken to the storage locker. The remains were cast aside carelessly, she said.

Giesbrecht's husband also testified that he was not aware of the pregnancies. The couple, now living apart, have two children. Giesbrecht also had one miscarriage and 10 legal abortions between 1994 and 2011, according to medical records and witness testimony.

Defence lawyer Greg Brodsky did not call any evidence during the trial. His closing arguments are expected Thursday.

The charges Giesbrecht faces carry a maximum sentence of two years each.