A Winnipeg man convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 death of his three-month-old son has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Mathieu Moreau, now 35, received the sentence on May 30, according to Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench. With enhanced credit for time served, the sentence will be reduced by 17 days.
Moreau was home alone with his son, Maven Gillis-Moreau, on January 11, 2020, when the infant was rushed to hospital in serious distress. Maven had a broken clavicle, a fractured leg, and traumatic brain injuries. He was later declared brain dead and removed from life support.
Justice Sadie Bond, who presided over the judge-alone trial, found Moreau guilty of manslaughter, stating she did not accept his testimony. The court concluded the fatal injuries resulted from assault, including possible shaking, hitting, or throwing.
Prosecutors argued Moreau assaulted Maven out of frustration when the baby wouldn’t sleep and had sought a 10- to 12-year sentence. Crown attorney Jennifer Mann said Moreau continued to show a “considerable lack of insight” and had not expressed remorse or explained his actions.
Moreau’s lawyers, who sought a sentence of three to five years, described him as an exhausted father working two jobs. They emphasized that he called 911 and attempted CPR. “He loved his child,” defence lawyer Bruce Bonney said. “Although he sits here silently, he feels the pain too.”
The court heard heartbreaking victim impact statements from the infant’s mother, Evelyn Gillis, and her parents. Gillis described enduring severe mental health struggles and accused Moreau of withholding the truth and manipulating her family during their grief.
“You watched us suffer, mourn, grieve,” she said in court. “Mathieu took away everything Maven could have been. Instead of walking Maven through life, I had to walk him to the morgue.”
Prosecutors highlighted that Moreau held a position of trust over a vulnerable child and had not sought counselling for anger issues. He was assessed as a medium risk to reoffend.
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