Mother accused of killing her daughter to remain in jail

By Greg Bennett

NovaNewsNow.com

A former Shelburne County woman charged with the murder of her 12-year-old daughter will remain in jail until her next court appearance on June 24.

Penny Boudreau, 34 was arrested by police on Friday in Halifax in connection with the murder of her daughter Karissa.

She appeared in Bridgewater Provincial Court on Monday to face first-degree murder charges. She was ordered to have no contact with four Crown witnesses: ex-husband Paul Boudreau and his brother Shane Boudreau, former live-in boyfriend Vernon McCumber and her sister April O’Reilly.

Crown Attorney Paul Scovil said the accused mother would be held in jail until she applies for a bail hearing and a hearing is held.

Bridgewater Police and RCMP made the joint announcement of Boudreau's arrest during a Saturday press conference.

“From the onset investigators were confident this was an isolated incident,” said RCMP Supt. Blair McKnight. “Major Crime investigators felt that Karissa must have known her killer.”

Karissa Boudreau was reported missing on Jan. 27. The mother said she and her daughter had argued that day. Penny Boudreau told investigators she went into a grocery store. When she came out she said her daughter was gone.

Boudreau’s frozen body was discovered along the banks of the LaHave River on Feb. 9.

The police have said they intend to make no other arrests in this case.

While offering little information on any evidence investigators have, Bridgewater Police Chief Brent Crowhurst noted during Saturday's press conference that there had been concerns from the public about whether there would be an arrest in the case.

“We tried to provide as much information as possible, but as you can appreciate we are limited in what can be divulged at times without compromising the integrity of the investigation,” he said.

Investigators have described the investigation as a long and complex one and thanked the public for the many tips that were provided in the case.

Karissa’s disappearance, brought thousands of Nova Scotians to distribute her photo in hopes that she would be found. The discovery of her body and the news that the death was a homicide was a great shock to many on the South Shore.

Karissa had only recently moved to Bridgewater, having grown up in Shelburne County where she attended elementary schools on Cape Sable Island and in Shelburne. Tributes to her life can be found in several local schools and libraries.