Elaine Campione

Canadian murderer

Frances Elaine Campione

Elaine Campione and her daughters, Serena and Sophia (undated)

Nationality| Canadian
Occupation(s)| Nanny and other
Criminal status| In prison
Spouse| Leo Campione
Children| Serena and Sophia Campione
Motive| Bitter custody battle
Conviction(s)| First degree murder (both counts)
Criminal charge| First degree murder
Penalty| Life imprisonment
Details
Victims| Serena and Sophia Campione
Date| October 2, 2006
Location(s)| Barrie, Ontario
Weapon| Bathtub and water

Frances Elaine Campione[1] is an Ontario woman who murdered her two children in Barrie, Ontario, on October 2, 2006. Canadian prosecutors argued that she wanted to get revenge on her ex-husband and was afraid he would receive custody.[2]

## Background and crime[edit]

Elaine Campione originated from Coles Island, New Brunswick, living there until she moved to Ontario for work reasons at around age 20. She had attended home support classes at a community college for one year. Christie Blatchford of The Globe and Mail wrote that she had "a normal enough childhood".[3] She went to Ontario to work as a nanny and she had other jobs.[3]

Elaine and then-husband Leo Campione, whom she met in 2000,[3] lived in Bradford, Ontario. The two parties divorced and Leo moved out of the house.[4] The victims, Serena and Sophia, were three years and nineteen months old, respectively, at the time of their deaths.[1]

At the time of the incident, Campione lived with her children in the Coulter Glen Apartments in northern Barrie.[1] Blatchford wrote that Leo and Elaine Campione were "engaged in a nasty divorce and custody battle."[3] Leo accused Campione of giving the girls substandard conditions at her apartment and asked the authorities for more access to the children and the appointment of a children's lawyer about one week before the deaths. Leo stated that there was a "mental health breakdown" on the mother's part.[1]

On October 2, 2006, Campione killed the girls by immersing them in a bathtub in their house, causing them to drown. She filmed a video addressed to her ex-husband with segments before and after her daughters died. Jessica Owen of Village Media described the video as "lengthy".[1] When the drownings were finished, Campione dressed them in pajamas and jewelry, posed them on a bed with objects, and attempted to kill herself.[1]

## Prosecution and aftermath[edit]

The Crown (Ontario authorities) charged her with two counts of first degree murder.[5] Mary Cremer served as Campione's lawyer.[3]

The trial took seven weeks.[4] Campione's lawyer argued that she was not guilty by reason of insanity; they did not dispute that she killed the girls.[6] On November 15, 2010 she was convicted.[5] The jury decided that she was guilty as she knew murder was wrong, despite any presence of mental illness.[7] Campione was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 25 years.[6] Leo Campione read a victim impact statement.[4]

Campione filed appeals against her conviction in 2010.[5] In 2015 some of them were denied.[7] In 2019 the Parole Board of Canada allowed her to have escorted absences from prison.[1]

## See also[edit]

Cases of filicide in Canada:

* Allyson McConnell

Cases of filicide attributed to revenge against an ex-spouse:

* John Battaglia
* Amy Hebert
* Murder of the Kumari-Baker sisters
* Charles Mihayo
* Aaron Schaffhausen

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g Owen, Jessica (2019-10-03). "Barrie mom who killed her kids granted escorted temporary absences from jail". Newmarket Today. Village Media. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
2. ^ "Spousal revenge rare motive for killing kids, experts say". CTV News. 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
3. ^ a b c d e Blatchford, Christine (2010-10-12). "Mother of accused tells murder trial her daughter was 'disengaged'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
4. ^ a b c "Mother of murdered sisters sentenced to life". CTV News. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
5. ^ a b c "Ont. mom convicted of killing daughters appeals". CBC. The Canadian Press. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
6. ^ a b "Dad of two girls drowned by their mother says he's haunted by the image". cp24.com. Bell Media. The Canadian Press. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2019-10-08. \- Also at: Jones, Allison (2010-11-17). "Father haunted by image of drowned daughters, court hears". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-08. // Updated on May 2, 2018.
7. ^ a b "Elaine Campione sees appeal dismissed in double murder conviction". CBC. The Canadian Press. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2019-10-08.