A woman has been charged as an accessory after the fact to murder in connection with a man who allegedly committed a fatal shooting in Brampton, Ont., leading to an Amber Alert this week. The man, Anthony Deschepper, 38, from Brampton, reportedly left the scene of the shooting with his one-year-old daughter and was set to face trial on firearm charges next year.
Peel Regional Police disclosed that the woman, aged 36 and with links to Brampton and Niagara Falls, was discovered in a vehicle with Deschepper and was believed to be his current or former girlfriend. She was apprehended at a gas station in Niagara Falls following Deschepper’s death in a confrontation with a Niagara Regional Police officer.
Deschepper, who was also facing firearm charges related to an incident involving the same woman killed in Brampton earlier in the week, had consistently denied the allegations and intended to challenge them in court, as stated by criminal defense lawyer Andrew Edgar.
The woman killed in Brampton was identified as Savannah Kulla, aged 29, by family members. Kulla was fatally shot in a plaza parking lot near Queen Street E. and Airport Road on Tuesday afternoon. Deschepper fled the scene with his child in a Nissan Kicks, leaving the child with relatives before being found with the woman in a Chevrolet.
Following an interaction with police, Deschepper was fatally shot by authorities and pronounced dead at the scene. In response to the incident, the federal Liberal government announced changes to the justice system aimed at keeping certain offenders incarcerated for extended periods, a move advocated by victims’ rights groups and law enforcement agencies.
Advocates emphasized the need for additional measures to prevent femicide, citing the importance of community support and services to address systemic issues of gender-based violence. Rebecca Pacheco from Embrave Agency to End Violence expressed condolences for Kulla’s family and highlighted the urgent need for enhanced support for survivors of gender-based violence.
Nneka MacGregor, co-founder of the Women’s Centre for Social Justice, stressed the preventable nature of femicide and the importance of addressing known risk factors to protect individuals at risk. She pointed out that early intervention and support are critical in preventing tragic outcomes in cases of intimate partner violence.
