Parents acquitted of manslaughter in tot's methadone death

CALGARY- Parents of a little girl who died of an overdose of methadone have been acquitted of manslaughter charges, however they are both convicted of failing to provide the necessities of life.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Earl Wilson made the ruling this afternoon after sitting nine days through the trial.

Jonathan Hope and Lisa Guerin (also known as Lisa Hope) were both charged with manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessities of life in the death of 16-month-old Summer Hope four years ago.

She died on April 30, 2006 -- the day after she drank the synthetic opiate. Court heard the levels of methadone in Summer's system would have been lethal to an adult.

Hope had been on the methadone treatment program to deal with his addiction to painkillers that stemmed from a motorcycle accident years earlier.

The Crown alleged Hope brought the methadone into the family's southwest fourplex on April 29 and that both he and Guerin knew their daughter ingested the drug. The Crown also alleged that, despite knowing this, Guerin left Calgary for Rocky Mountain House where she had work as an exotic dancer and plans to meet her boyfriend.

Neither of the parents sought medical treatment for Summer.

Experts testified medical intervention would likely have saved the little girl.