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Allyson McConnell (née Meagher, November 1978 – September 2013) was an Australian resident in
Millet, Alberta Millet is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Alberta's capital city of Edmonton. History The Town of Millet was named in honour of August Millet, who was believed to be a canoeist for Father Lacombe. (Another poss ...
, Canada who, in 2010, killed her sons by drowning them in a bathtub. She was convicted of manslaughter and deported to Australia. An appeal of her conviction, seeking to return her to Canada for a retrial, was scheduled, but she committed suicide before this could happen.


Early life

Allyson Meagher was born sometime in November 1978 and originated from
Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. Throughout her life she had engaged in suicide attempts.


Marriage with Curtis McConnell

In 2006 she met Curtis McConnell at the Delta Ski Resort in
Kamloops, British Columbia Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, ...
; both were employed by the resort and she was on a working holiday. She married him in January 2007 while the two were in Australia. In July of that year Connor McConnell was born while they were in that country. The couple later purchased a house in Millet. Their second child, Jayden, was born in March 2009; at that time Allyson McConnell had started a job in
Leduc, Alberta Leduc ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is south of the provincial capital of Edmonton and is part of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. History Leduc was established in 1891, when Robert Telford, a settler, who had bough ...
. She later stated in court that she did not plan to have a second child. Allyson McConnell worked for an oil company, while her husband worked in a hardware store. Their marriage encountered problems in the fall of 2009. Curtis McConnell began living in the house's basement. Allyson became upset and depressed as her marriage unraveled. Curtis filed for divorce in December of that year and moved into his parents' house. At first Allyson McConnell had an amicable relationship with her ex-husband's mother, but then she ended contact with her. The ex-husband and ex-wife entered in a custody dispute; she wanted the children in Australia while he wanted them to remain in Canada. A judge had ruled that the children should remain in Canada.


Murder

Allyson McConnell, 33 at the time, drowned both of her children in a bathtub. Connor was two and a half years old and Jayden was ten months old. It is not known when the children were killed. She then drove to
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and, after having a meal, jumped from an overpass, and landed on a road. She had multiple broken bones. On February 1, 2010, a police officer in Edmonton called Curtis McConnell, informing him of his wife's injury. The officer was not aware of the location and status of the children. Curtis McConnell returned to the house to check on the welfare of the children and used a knife to open the locked bathroom door. He discovered the children's bodies floating in the bathtub and a wedding ring on the toilet seat. Curtis McConnell later, citing the placement of the wedding ring, expressed his belief that Allyson McConnell killed the children as a form of revenge against him, stating he initially did not believe this but later re-evaluated his understanding of the case.


Aftermath, legal outcome and death

Allyson McConnell survived her suicide attempt and was placed in the hospital; she said she had no memory of the incident after waking up. After hospitalization was over, she was moved to psychiatric care at
Alberta Hospital Edmonton Alberta Hospital Edmonton is a Psychiatry, psychiatric hospital operating under the governance of Alberta Health Services. It is located in the northeastern portion of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and was founded on July 1, 1923. The site is servic ...
. She served fifteen months there. The boys' funeral was held five days after the discovery of their bodies. Family members on both sides were mentioned, but the mother was not. Crown Prosecutor Gordon Hatch tried the case. McConnell was convicted of manslaughter in 2012. Justice Michelle Crighton stated that McConnell did not have sufficient intent for a murder charge; this was given on the grounds that she did not remember the crime and was depressed. McConnell was originally sentenced to six years of prison, but this was later changed to sentenced to 15 months of confinement; she was eligible for release due to the time she spent at the psychiatric hospital. She was scheduled for deportation to Australia. The Alberta government unsuccessfully tried to block her deportation. Alberta Minister of Justice
Jonathan Denis Jonathan Brian Denis, (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. On May 9, 2012, he was named Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice for the province of Alberta. He represented the constituency of Calg ...
criticized the sentence, saying it was too light, and stated that he would take efforts to have McConnell brought back to Canada for another trial. Updated November 18, 2013 Hatch stated that he planned to file an appeal and that the McConnell family was not satisfied with the decision. Curtis McConnell also filed a civil suit against Allyson McConnell for $940,000
Canadian dollars The Canadian dollar ( symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style ...
($903,000
Australian dollars The Australian dollar (sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Island ...
). After her conviction, McConnell was deported to Australia on April 10, 2013, arriving at
Kingsford Smith International Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...
. At the time prosecutors in Canada were still attempting to succeed in their appeal and have McConnell returned to Canada to face harsher penalties. The appeal hearing was scheduled for October 30 of that year. In September 2013 a person found Allyson McConnell's body under the Brian McGowan Bridge in
West Gosford West Gosford is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area. West Gosford is home to the Henry Kendall cottage and was home to the Gosford Classic Car Museum prior to its 2019 ...
, New South Wales, Australia. Her lawyer, Peter Royal, stated that she had committed suicide. Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk posted a tweet stating that McConnell's death was a "Sad end to what already was a tragedy".


See also

* Elaine Campione


References


External links


Allyson McConnell
- index of articles by the ''
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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Allyson 1978 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Australian people 21st-century Australian criminals 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women 2010 murders in Canada 2013 suicides Australian expatriates in Canada Australian murderers of children Australian female murderers Australian people convicted of manslaughter Suicides by jumping in Australia Suicides in New South Wales Filicides in Canada Crime in Alberta People from Gosford Prisoners and detainees of Canada People deported from Canada Incidents of violence against boys