Warning: Details in the story may be difficult to read and contain graphic details, including suicide.
A B.C. mother who smothered her eight-year-old daughter to death while she was sleeping has died in prison.
Lisa Batstone, from South Surrey, killed Teagan Batstone by smothering her with a plastic bag on Dec. 10, 2014. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison before parole eligibility.
In a brief news release, Correctional Service of Canada confirms Batstone died Jan. 1 while in custody at Fraser Valley Institution.
"At the time of death, the inmate had been serving an indeterminate sentence, which commenced on Sept. 3, 2019, for second-degree murder,” states the release.
The inmate's next of kin has been notified.
In a statement to Glacier Media, Teagan's father and step-mother, Gabe Batstone and Stephanie Batstone, say the death of "the convicted murderer of our beloved daughter Teagan, brings no cause for mourning from us."
"Her death does not erase the pain and loss of Teagan, whose absence is felt every day. Nothing can bring our precious daughter back, and this unalterable truth weighs heavily on our hearts," the family said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The pair go on to say how the legal proceedings throughout the years have been "a relentless torment."
"These processes have perpetually reopened wounds that never fully heal, reminding us of the justice system's arduous path for victims' families," says the couple, adding Batstone's death means "a significant burden has been lifted."
"We no longer face the daunting prospect of her potential release."
Gabe and Stephanie say their focus remains on honouring Teagan's memory and "cherishing the joy she brought into our lives."
"We continue to navigate our journey of healing, fortified by the knowledge that the threat posed by her killer has been permanently removed,” the statement said.
B.C.’s Court of Appeal rejected a sentence appeal from Batstone in October 2021.
The woman claimed she intended to die by suicide, so she killed Teagan to protect her from Gabe Batstone, her ex‑husband and Teagan’s father, whom she alleged had inflicted mental and emotional abuse upon them.
On Dec. 9, 2014, they had a “campout” in the living room. Teagan slept on a mattress on the floor and Batstone on the couch.
Sometime that night, Batstone smothered Teagan, the court said.
“I deserve to go to jail or institution plus death penalty,” Batstone wrote that night, sitting by her daughter’s body. “I can’t believe I took my daughter’s life. I honestly believe that she’s in a better place now with Jesus.”
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Murray's ruling from March 2019 stated “she put two bags over her head and secured them with duct tape to try to smother herself. She could not go through with it.”
She then put her daughter’s body in her car, and planned to go elsewhere and kill herself.
However, she got stuck in a ditch, drawing a first responder’s attention.
“When he was checking around the vehicle, he heard a muffled voice saying, ‘I’m in here,’” Murray said. “He opened the hatchback trunk. There he found the accused lying on her side cradling a young girl. The accused immediately said, ‘I’ve killed her.’ She was sobbing.”
“The child was wearing a nightshirt and shorts. Her skin was mottled. She was cold. She had no pulse. Her limbs were very stiff. Rigor mortis had set in. She had been dead for some time,” the judge said.
When told she was under arrest, Batstone said, “I murdered her.”
Murray said Batstone’s actions showed intent to kill.
B.C.’s Court of Appeal also rejected a sentence appeal from the South Surrey mother in May 2022. In a May 12 decision released May 18, the appeal court found the original sentence to be a fit one.
Correctional Service of Canada will review the circumstances of the death on Jan. 1 and state the police and the coroner will be notified. No further details about the death have been released.
With files from Jeremy Hainsworth
Editor's note: This story was updated at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3 to include a statement from Gabe Batstone and Stephanie Batstone.
