Dwight Austin Isadore was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of Cassidy Jean Bernard and the abandonment of her twin daughters. Isadore admitted to punching Bernard, hitting her in the neck, back and stomach. She thought he hit her 10 times as hard as he could. “I’m so happy that my daughter got justice and the little girls got justice,” Cassidy’s mother, Mona Bernard, said outside the courtroom. “I just [have] to learn to live without her. It was really hard. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat. I lost a lot of things. I lost myself is what it was.’ On Wednesday, members of Bernard’s family gave victim impact statements in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Isadore is not welcome in We’koma’q
We’koma’q Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley spoke in the courtroom on behalf of her community, saying her cousin’s death had left them devastated. Bernard-Daisley also warned Isadore that he would no longer be welcome in We’koma’q after his release. “We’koma’q was a place of peace,” he said. “We’koma’q was hurt, saddened, shocked and robbed.” Another woman said she now suffers from PTSD, a panic and anxiety disorder after finding Bernard’s body and the children in the crib next to her. Cassidy Bernard was a mother of two young daughters. (Facebook) Acting Chief Justice Patrick Duncan said the damage done in this case “does not end” with Bernard’s death. “All of these individuals had to find ways to deal with this trauma, this life-changing experience,” he said. “And we hope they find peace.” Duncan said he hopes Isador can improve himself before returning to society. He accepted a joint recommendation from the Crown and defense that Isadore be sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and a three-year consecutive sentence for child abandonment, with credit given for time spent in custody.
Luck saved the twins
Crown attorney Peter Harrison said Bernard’s twin girls survived only “through good luck, not good planning,” noting Isador received one of the harshest sentences handed down in Canada for child abandonment. “[It] recognizes the significant aggravating factors that existed in this case,” Harrison said. Isadore was initially charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge last month. He was arrested just over a year after Bernard’s death following a six-month sting known as Operation Mr. Big in which Isadore was introduced to several undercover officers who played various roles in a fake criminal organization. While that evidence was not tested at trial, Crown attorneys say they are confident it would be admissible in this case. Isadore’s attorney said his client regrets what happened, but acknowledged that nothing will bring Cassidy back. MORE TOP STORIES
