A woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder after she was found with a man who allegedly killed another woman in Brampton, Ont., and prompted an Amber Alert this week.
Anthony Deschepper, 38, of Brampton, who allegedly fled the shooting scene with his one-year-old daughter on Tuesday, was due to stand trial on firearm charges next year.
Peel Regional Police say the woman, 36, who has ties to Brampton and Niagara Falls, was located in a vehicle with Deschepper and was either his past or present girlfriend. She was arrested at a gas station in Niagara Falls, where Deschepper was shot dead by a Niagara Regional Police officer.
Deschepper himself was scheduled to go on trial next year for firearm charges laid after a Sept. 30, 2023, incident with the woman killed, 29-year-old Savannah Kulla, Brampton criminal defence lawyer Andrew Edgar confirmed to CBC Toronto.
The accused “always denied the allegations and planned to contest them in court,” Edgar said.
Deschepper had been charged with the following offences: possession of a loaded or restricted firearm, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, discharge of a firearm in a reckless manner and two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to an order.
Meanwhile, family members have identified the woman killed in Brampton as Savannah Kulla, 29. Kulla was fatally shot in in a plaza parking lot near Queen Street E. and Airport Road shortly before 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Family members have identified the woman killed in Brampton, Ont., on Tuesday as Savannah Kulla, 29. (Savannah Kulla/Facebook)
Police have said Deschepper fled the scene in a Nissan Kicks with his child in the back seat. The child was found safe after being dropped off at relatives. Police later found Deschepper in a Chevrolet with the woman.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has said Deschepper was killed following an interaction with police at about 2:30 a.m. ET Wednesday and was pronounced dead at the scene.
More needs to be done to prevent femicide: advocates
On Thursday, the federal Liberal government announced changes to the justice system intended to keep some offenders locked up for longer, something victims’ rights advocates, police unions and some provincial premiers have long been demanding.
But advocates say more could have been done to protect Kulla outside of the justice system given the warning signs.
Rebecca Pacheco, development and education manager at Embrave Agency to End Violence and coordinator of the Peel Committee Against Women Abuse, said the story is “heart-breaking in so many ways.” Embrave operates two shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and their children and a 24/7 crisis line.
“It’s a tragedy every time. We mourn for Savannah and we send our condolences to her family and friends,” Pacheo said Thursday, calling femicide an epidemic.
“When you hear stories like this, it deeply hurts. And I can’t even imagine what Savannah’s family, friends and her children are are going through today.”
Pacheco said gender-based violence is a systemic problem, yet community supports and services, are at capacity, underfunded and overwhelmed by need.
“If survivors are coming to our doors, and as a shelter, we’re at capacity, then there’s a fundamental break in the system that we’re not being able to meet the needs of people needing these services.”
Nneka MacGregor, co-founder and executive director of the Women’s Centre for Social Justice, said she feels for Kulla’s children, mother and community of friends. Femicide is preventable, she added.
“There are risk factors that are known and the fact that this man was not tracked and Savannah was not protected. Even though it was preventable, it’s part of what makes me angry and makes me really, really sad,” MacGregor said.
“We know that women are more likely to be killed within the first six to 12 months of leaving an abusive relationship,” she said.
“We know that separation is a huge risk factor. We know that somebody who has possession or access to firearms, that is a huge risk factor. We know that when they have previous police involvement, that is a huge risk factor.”