Rebecca Louise Burden choked her father with a cushion the first time she was permitted to visit him after Covid-19 restrictions were eased at his assisted living facility.
Burden claims that her “loss of judgment” occurred as a result of her 68-year-old father pleading with her to “please just kill me” due to a brain injury and severe dementia.
A Brisbane court was informed on Tuesday that Steven Burden’s daughter, who is now 47, immediately informed a nurse of what she had done after pushing the cushion on his face with all of her weight.
Mr. Burden lived, but when asked what had happened, he was unable to recall his daughter’s visit.
Police were only able to accuse Burden of trying to kill someone after hearing her version of events.
She looked after Mr. Burden for two years after he sustained a brain injury in a vehicle accident.
He pushed her down steps, shattering her ribs, and afterwards moved into the Regis Aged Care home at Sandgate, north of Brisbane.
Following the loosening of Covid-19 limits put in place six months earlier, Mr. Burden was on his bed on September 26, 2020, pleading with his daughter to get him out, according to Burden, who alerted authorities.
When she stated she couldn’t, her father pleaded with her to “please just kill me.” I don’t want to be here anymore.’
According to prosecutor Katrina Overell, Burden rubbed her father’s forehead until his eyes closed before covering his face with a chair cushion.
Burden pushed the cushion with her entire body weight for 25 to 30 seconds before pausing when Mr. Burden kicked his legs.
She informed authorities that at the time she wanted to put an end to her father’s suffering because he was constantly depressed.
Burden, who has no criminal past, had “very awful” personal circumstances, according to defense attorney Charlotte Smith, and she also experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.
On the day that marked a year since the loss of his twins, Mr. Burden was driving to his daughter when he was involved in an automobile accident.
Burden informed the court that she accepted full responsibility for her acts, deeply regretted what had happened, and recognized the seriousness of the accusation.
She made a statement to the court in which she declared her unwavering love for her father and her best friend.
She had been anticipating seeing her father for the first time in six months since “that awful day.”
She continued, ‘There was a mistake of judgment on my part during that time together, and it cost me dearly,’ adding that she has not been permitted to see him since.
I think I’m a decent person who made a terrible mistake.
Burden, who had admitted to trying to kill someone, was granted continuous bail by Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Soraya Ryan.
On July 22, Burden will be sentenced.