Fatality inquiry begins into death of Calgary teen who weighed 37 pounds when he died

Photo: The Canadian Press

Alexandru Radita is shown in a photo from his 15th birthday party, three months before his death, in this handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Alberta,

A fatality inquiry has begun in the case of a 15-year-old boy who was discovered dead inside his Calgary home weighing less than 37 pounds.

Alexandru Radita died in May 2013 of bacterial sepsis brought on by complications due to untreated diabetes and starvation.

His parents, who moved from B.C. to Alberta, were found guilty of first-degree murder in his death in 2017.

Witnesses at their trial testified that the Raditas refused to accept that their son had diabetes and failed to treat his disease.

Alberta Judge Sharon Van de Veen says the inquiry will not be focusing on the horror that the boy endured leading to his death, but will seek to find to what extent the state could have intervened to save his life.

She says the inquiry will only involve witnesses from Alberta, even though there were protection orders in place in British Columbia.