The start of the trial of a babysitter accused of the involuntary manslaughter of a baby revealed that a “Mr. Big” type investigative technique led to her arrest.
Diana Torres-Acosta, a 42-year-old woman, is accused of causing the death of a 13-month-old girl in July 2019. The victim had recently attended the family daycare that Torres-Acosta managed in his apartment in the Limoilou district.
The method Mr. Big
involves convincing a suspect to perform various tasks on behalf of a fictitious individual or organization until a relationship of trust is established. The suspect is then brought to meet another individual who asks him to carry out an even more arduous task, in exchange for a final proof of trust. It is at this moment that the suspect is made to confess to a crime of which he is suspected.
Initially, Quebec police targeted four adults to explain the child’s injuries, which were similar to shaken baby syndrome.
Investigators subsequently removed the victim’s parents from the list of suspects to focus on the babysitter and her partner.
It is in this context that the Quebec police service requested the intervention of the mixed infiltration squad in major crime, a new name to designate infiltration investigations of the type Mr. Big
.
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The photo of the accused, Diana Torres-Acosta, in documents obtained from the court
Photo : Radio-Canada / Yannick Bergeron
In February 2020, the undercover squad went into action. This is how Diana Torres-Acosta and her partner were approached to work for a fictitious company. This was in fact a police staging with the aim of clarifying the death of the little victim. The pseudo-company offered different services, such as housekeeping and delivery.
Serious injuries
The undercover operation will be exposed to the judge in the coming days, after which she will have to decide whether the confessions obtained as part of this investigation are admissible as evidence.
The lead investigator in the case, David Gionet, said hospital staff described the little victim’s injuries as comparable to those suffered in a high-velocity accident, or even during a fall from ten stories.
The girl died a week after being admitted to hospital.
Screens were set up in the courtroom in anticipation of testimony from undercover agents, whose identities are protected.
A Spanish translator is present to translate the hearings for the accused, who is of Colombian origin.
