Alberta woman sentenced to eight years for killing of girl found in hockey bag

EDMONTON – A woman who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of an eight-year-old girl found dead in a hockey bag in central Alberta was sentenced to eight years in prison in a case that saw police publicly criticize the work of Crown prosecutors. 

Court of King’s Bench Justice Jody Fraser handed down the sentence Friday to 30-year-old Ashley Rattlesnake, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Nina Napope. 

Rattlesnake is to be given about four years’ credit for time she has already served in custody. Fraser said she should be incarcerated outside Alberta.

“No sentence can ever bring back Nina,” Fraser said. “If I had that power, I could exercise it in a heartbeat.”

Nina’s family shouted “Baby killer!” toward Rattlesnake after the sentencing. Outside court, they yelled “Eight years is not enough!”

The case surrounding Nina’s death also made headlines in the fall when Edmonton police Chief Warren Driechel made public a letter urging the Crown to call off a plea deal for a possible sentence of eight years.

Rattlesnake had been facing a charge of second-degree murder, and manslaughter typically carries a less severe sentence.

Driechel wrote in the letter that a lesser sentence would be a travesty of justice, given the horrific nature of the crime. He warned that if a plea deal went through, police would release more details of the case so the public could form its own opinion.

However, the Crown said no plea deal had been reached.

The letter saw critics, including defence lawyers, accuse police of straying out of their lane. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also weighed in, saying she was glad police tried to intervene.

Fraser said Friday that he found the police commentary “reprehensible” and that it was a mitigating factor in the sentencing decision.

Court has heard that Nina was in the care of Rattlesnake when her body was found in the hockey bag in the back of a truck on the Samson Cree Nation in 2023. 

Rattlesnake was drinking alcohol and using methamphetamine the night Nina was killed. The eight-year-old was found lying on the floor bleeding next to a hole in the wall, but it isn’t known how she sustained her fatal head injury.

An autopsy showed she had multiple broken bones and injuries, some which had previously healed. She also had sepsis because of an infected tooth that was left untreated. Court heard the blood infection reduced her chances of survival.

Rattlesnake didn’t call 911 and instead asked acquaintances for help. Four others were charged in the case.

Fraser said Rattlesnake was “wilfully blind to Nina’s suffering” and treated her body “almost as trash.” 

However, he said, Rattlesnake would not have known that the last, fatal blow to the head would have killed Nina. 

The justice said 12 to 15 years in prison would have been a suitable sentence, but decreased it due to other mitigating factors such as Rattlesnake’s plea. Fraser said it saved four weeks of trial time.

Crown prosecutor Terry Hofmann had asked that Rattlesnake receive a nine-year prison sentence, while defence lawyer Robert LaValley requested seven years.

Fraser said he made the decision without “any fear of the Edmonton police action,” adding that the force was still threatening to release information from the investigation.

In a statement Friday, Edmonton police said they plan to take time to review the outcome of the sentencing hearing and speak to Nina’s family before taking further action. 

“Our hearts go out to Nina’s loved ones, who have suffered unimaginable pain throughout these proceedings,” the statement said.

Outside court, Nina’s family criticized the judge’s decision and commended the police for getting involved.

“She was abused for eight months, so it is murder,” said Janet Blyan, Nina’s great-aunt. “It wasn’t an accidental death, it was murder because she knew what she was doing.”

Blyan said Nina was the only child in the household who was abused.

She said she hadn’t seen her great-niece for eight months and thought she was being taken care of.

“She was chubby, but when she died she was so small, she didn’t even look like her.”

Blyan also took issue with sending Rattlesnake to another province to carry out her sentence.

“The system is protecting that baby killer.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2026.