.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A woman accused of beating a Ndilo elder who later died in hospital will not have charges against her upped to manslaughter.

Alice Nitsiza, 43, was charged with aggravated assault for an attack on 81-year-old Marie Doctor after a Jan. 15 incident.

RCMP confirmed on Tuesday final autopsy results did not support an upgrade of the aggravated assault charge to manslaughter. RCMP Sgt. Wayne Norris said the autopsy provided "insufficient evidence" to elevate the charges against Nitsiza.

"Where it stands is the current charges are continuing," said Norris.

Nitsiza is facing one count of aggravated assault and one count of failure to comply with a probation order.

Norris said he did not have the reason for Doctor's exact cause of death.

NWT chief coroner Garth Eggenberger said the cause of death is not going to be released until the justice system deals with the charges.

Doctor had been attacked by an assailant - whom police said was unknown to her - in her Ndilo home and seriously injured. During one of Nitsiza's court appearances in January, Crown prosecutor Danielle Vaillancourt said the victim of the attack had been disfigured. Doctor died in Stanton Territorial Hospital on Feb. 8. On April 14, Crown prosecutor Janice Walsh said the Crown was waiting on a final report - an examination of tissue - which was necessary to the case.

Nitsiza is scheduled to appear in Territorial Court again on May 5.