A 7-year-old girl was murdered on Monday night, May 18, as she was fatally stabbed in bed by her mother’s friend hours after she drew a picture of him to cheer him up as he was going through a “personal crisis“.
Bella Rose Desrosiers died Monday night after being tucked into bed by her mother, Melissa. According to CBC, the bereaved mother says her daughter was then allegedly attacked by David Michael Moss, 34, who has been charged with 2nd-degree murder by police.
Melissa, a mother-of-two, said David was distraught so she convinced him to stay at her house while he sought help, according to the outlet. While at Melissa’s house, Bella Rose made him smile with a drawing of him.
Melissa said she was planning on taking David, a tattoo artist, to a hospital after she put her daughters to sleep.
However, later that night, while Melissa was saying goodnight to her daughters, Bella Rose, 7, and Lily, 4, Moss is said to have come into the room with scissors.
Melissa said Moss began attacking Bella Rose with the scissors as she watched in horror, as there was “nothing” she could do to “stop him.”
“It was reported that Moss stabbed the child in front of her mother. The mother tried to intervene and attempted CPR until paramedics arrived the scene,” police said in a statement on Wednesday, May 20.
Bella Rose was pronounced dead at the scene and Moss was taken into custody. This is the second time in one year that the family is experiencing tragedy.
Just last July, Melissa’s husband and Bella Rose’s father, Ben, had taken his own life. The couple had been married for nine years before the tragic incident.
In a statement after Bella Rose’s death, Melissa said,
“What I ask you to focus on, is the beautiful little girl my Bella Rose was and still is. Like her father, she had a huge kind heart that truly enjoyed life.”
Below is a video of the mother giving a statement after her daughter’s death.
"Her soul was true, beautiful and unique": Melissa Desrosiers, the mother of seven-year-old homicide victim Bella Rose Desrosiers, shared a statement outside her southeast Edmonton home Wednesday afternoon.#yeg pic.twitter.com/8sSB1BG3fv
— Global Edmonton (@GlobalEdmonton) May 20, 2020