A woman charged in connection with a violent assault that left a six-year-old child from an Island Lake-area First Nation permanently paralyzed has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Winnipeg provincial court.
Details presented in court
Prosecutors told the court the accused, 26-year-old Marilyn Keno, repeatedly threw the sick child to the floor while the child lay in bed sometime between the evening of Sept. 17 and the following morning. Court heard the child was unwell and had vomited when Keno attempted to administer medication.
On the first attempt the child vomited and reportedly slapped Keno's hand away. After a second attempt, the Crown says Keno became agitated and, in what was described by the Crown as an assault, threw the child to the ground at least three times. The blows resulted in catastrophic injuries, including a broken neck and loss of use of the lower extremities.
"[The girl] now has permanent paralysis as a direct result from the infliction of abuse and due to the time lapse between the inflicted injuries and seeking medical care," Crown attorney Alanna Littman told provincial court Judge Jay Funke.
During the court appearance, the Crown also outlined additional abusive conduct alleged to have occurred after the initial injuries, saying the accused used a thumb tack to pierce the victim's skin multiple times. The full details were recited as part of the Crown’s statement to the court.
Wider child-welfare concerns
Police removed four children from the Winnipeg home in September, according to court reporting. The victim is from one of the Island Lake-area First Nations; the assault and its aftermath have reverberated in that community and beyond. The accused had been living in the city with her husband, who is also 26, at the time of the incident.
- Accused: Marilyn Keno, 26
- Victim: Six-year-old child from an Island Lake-area First Nation
- Charge entered: Aggravated assault (guilty plea)
- Reported injuries: Broken neck, permanent paralysis of lower extremities
- Other actions reported: Children removed from the home; alleged further abusive acts involving a thumb tack
What happened next in court
The plea was entered before provincial court Judge Jay Funke. The Crown’s statement about the permanence of the child’s injuries was central to the court record. Sentencing dates and other procedural steps were not detailed in the information available from the court report.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incident timeframe | Evening of Sept. 17 to the following morning |
| Accused age | 26 |
| Victim age | 6 |
| Charge | Aggravated assault (guilty plea) |
The case raises difficult questions for Winnipeg's child-welfare and foster-care systems about the screening and supervision of foster homes, particularly for children from northern and remote First Nations communities placed in urban settings. Community advocates and welfare authorities often stress the importance of culturally appropriate supports and close oversight when children are placed outside their home communities.
This prosecution and guilty plea will be watched closely by families in the Island Lake-area communities and by Winnipeg social-service agencies. The permanent nature of the child's injuries was emphasised in court and underscores long-term medical, rehabilitative and support needs that will follow.
Further court dates, including sentencing, were not specified in the available report. As the legal process continues, prosecutors, defence counsel and child-welfare officials will determine next steps that affect the victim, the remaining children removed from the home, and the broader public interest in child protection.
The matter was heard at the Winnipeg Law Courts building.
