Edmonton man charged with 2nd degree murder for stabbing 7-year-old girl

An Edmonton man has been charged with second-degree murder following the stabbing death of seven-year-old Bella Rose Desrosiers.

David Michael Moss, 34, was scheduled to make his first appearance before Judge Elizabeth Johnson in Edmonton Provincial Court on Wednesday morning, but failed to appear, according to court documents.

The victim's mother, Melissa Desrosiers, described Moss as a friend and said he was going through a personal crisis Monday.

Roses told CBC News she convinced Moss for help and took him to her house. She said she planned to take him to the hospital Monday night or Tuesday.

She said she was putting her daughters to bed when Moss suddenly rushed into the bedroom with a pair of scissors.

Police were called to his home in Mill Woods, southeast of Edmonton, at 8:45 p.m. (French time).

“It was reported that Moss stabbed the child in front of his mother,” police said in a statement Wednesday. “The mother attempted to intervene and attempted CPR until paramedics arrived. The girl was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Police said they arrested Moss at the scene that night without incident. He remains in detention.

According to court records, Moss has no prior criminal convictions.

His next court appearance will be Friday morning.

“A horrible, horrible crime”

Moss is an Edmonton tattoo artist who started his own business with his wife last year, although it was closed due to the pandemic.

“He's closeted and he's got four kids,” fellow tattoo artist Frank Urbanovitch told CBC News. “He was really, really behind on the bills.”

Urbanovitch described Moss as a family man.

“It’s a horrible, horrible crime,” he said. “A little girl died. I have 21 grandchildren. Children are my life. I am heartbroken by all of this.

“But that’s not David. That’s not the David I knew.”

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Urbanovitch's grandson, Xavier Doucet, began working with Moss in January as an apprentice.

Doucet said he became increasingly concerned about Moss' mental state.

“I could tell he was slowly slipping and expressing stress, but I didn't know it would end there,” he said.