A woman from Toronto has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 18 years, after she suffocated her two sons two years ago.
The 27-year-old Greek-Canadian woman, Vanessa Kollias, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto on Monday, November 17. Describing what happened on the evening of December 10, 2023, the 27-year-old told the court that she held her hands over the mouth and nose of 4-year-old Dimitri and 5-year-old John while singing “You Are My Sunshine” to them, before jumping from the balcony of their Toronto apartment in hopes of taking her own life.
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Police found the bodies of the two children in front of a television playing cartoons, with their funeral clothes placed beside them along with a photograph of their father, 72-year-old Kostas Kollias, and a cross. The 27-year-old survived the fall but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
“She wanted to reunite in paradise”
Kollias reportedly told a psychiatrist that she was “utterly alone and unable to conceive of continuing life without (her husband) and wanted them all to reunite in paradise.”
Her letter to police contained apologies and pleas for forgiveness to family members for what she had done, according to the agreed statement of facts. “She stated that her greatest regret was that her suicide attempt was unsuccessful,” according to the statement, referring to what Kollias told the psychiatrist.
The woman did not suffer from a serious mental disorder, according to the report, and had been devastated by her husband’s sudden death nine days earlier. However, she did suffer from adjustment disorder (characterized by distress and excessive reactions to stress and pressure), but this did not make her eligible for a “potential defense” of not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
“In summary, while Ms. Kollias does not suffer from a serious mental disorder that could affect her ability to perceive her actions or know their consequences, she is the product of persistent childhood trauma that shaped her adult perceptions of the world, sense of security, and relationships,” the report additionally states.
The prosecution and defense jointly recommended that Kollias serve 18 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell agreed and imposed the recommended sentence.
