An Edmonton soldier says a 2015 house fire that led to her being accused of trying to kill her three children was not started by her.
The accused, whose name cannot be published because of a publication ban meant to protect the identity of the children, testified at her attempted murder trial in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Over the course of the trial, which began last week, the Crown has said it intends to prove the accused was motivated to kill herself and her three children because she did not want to comply with a court order giving custody of her children to her ex-husband.
The woman’s defence lawyer has argued she is not guilty of attempted murder or intentionally or recklessly causing damage by fire to a property knowing the property was inhabited and intentionally or recklessly causing damage by fire to a property belonging to the Canadian Forces.
The defence has argued it may have been one of her children who put lives at risk.
In court on Wednesday, the accused said on the night of the fire, she and her children were sleeping in her second-floor bedroom when her eight-year-old son woke up coughing because of smoke in the house.
READ MORE: Son testifies at Edmonton trial for mother accused of trying to kill him and his siblings
She said she assumed the smoke was coming from wildfires and told him to shut the window. The mother said everyone then fell asleep again until she woke up to hear her 10-year-old son calling her from the basement of the home. She said she came down and told both of her sons to go back to bed even though one of her sons said there was a fire in the basement. She said she did not believe him and did not bother to check because he seemed so calm and because she still thought the smoke was from wildfires.
“I’ve never been in a house fire before, so I didn’t know,” she said.
The woman said there were three working smoke alarms in the house before the fire but none of them rang that night. Photos submitted as evidence showed a spot where a smoke alarm should have been but was removed. Another photo showed a smoke alarm in the trash after the fire had been put out.
According to the mother, her children continued to cough but she thought they were faking their coughs. However, she eventually went to investigate and upon leaving the bedroom was confronted with smoke that burned her eyes and lungs so she retreated back and closed the door.
The woman said she intended to call 911 but could not find her cellphone and eventually lost consciousness. Court heard that is when neighbours came and saved the family from the fire.
While the mother said she did not start the fire, she is disappointed with how she handled the events that unfolded that night.
The accused also spoke on Wednesday about a letter that the Crown has presented as evidence during the trial. The letter, which she wrote to a friend, says “by the time you’re reading this, I’ll either be in jail or dead.”
It was mailed to a friend of the mother, along with about $10,000 in cash that she had withdrawn from two of her bank accounts four days before the fire, leaving them nearly empty.
“I was collecting all my money into one spot so I could add it up and see how much money I had for a down payment for a house,” the woman said when asked about the withdrawals.
READ MORE: Trial underway in Edmonton for soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
The mother said Wednesday that the letter was written after the fire. Her son previously testified that she asked him to mail the letter the morning before the fire.
Closing statements were expected to be made on Thursday but have since been pushed back to Friday.
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