The mother of two boys killed by a python says she dropped them off for a sleepover that night certain they were in good hands. Noah Barthe, left, and Connor Barthe pose in this undated photo posted on the Facebook page of Mandy Trecartin. The accused in the case, Jean-Claude Savoie wept in court as Trecartin talked about her sons Noah Barthe, 4, and Connor Barthe, 6. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Facebook
Republished November 03, 2016 - 1:00 AM
Original Publication Date November 02, 2016 - 1:00 PM
CAMPBELLTON, N.B. - The trial of a man charged in the deaths of two young New Brunswick boys, who were suffocated by a python, heard emotional testimony from their mother on Wednesday.
Mandy Trecartin said she had no reservations about leaving her four-year-old son Noah Barthe and his six-year-old brother Connor for a sleepover at the apartment of Jean-Claude Savoie, who she described as a close friend.
She said shortly before 7 a.m. the next morning, Savoie was banging on her door and saying that his African rock python had escaped and killed the boys.
It's believed the snake travelled through a ventilation duct and fell into the living room where the boys were sleeping.
RCMP Const. Eric Maillet was one of the first officers on the scene and said the snake was quite aggressive and appeared to be trying to escape again.
Ocean Eagles, a former volunteer at Savoie's pet store, testified that she had placed a cover over the opening of the ventilation duct weeks earlier when Savoie told her the snake had managed to get halfway out of the duct before.
Eagles said she could never imagine that such a large snake could fit through the narrow duct.
More witnesses will be called today.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016