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Sentencing Begins After Ban Lifted in Death of 8-Year-Old Nina Napope

A judge removed a publication ban at the family’s request so the child could be named in open court.

Overview

  • Family members delivered emotional victim impact statements as manslaughter sentencing for caregiver Ashley Rattlesnake opened in Edmonton court.
  • Crown prosecutor Terry Hofmann asked for a nine-year prison term, and the defence was set to offer its recommendation later Wednesday.
  • Justice Jody Fraser lifted the long-standing identity ban, allowing the court to publicly identify the victim as Nina Napope.
  • Autopsy findings detailed blunt-force head trauma and chronic abuse, including multiple healed fractures and sepsis from an untreated infected tooth.
  • The case has faced intense scrutiny after Edmonton police publicly urged prosecutors in 2025 to reject the manslaughter plea that replaced an initial first-degree murder charge.