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When Philip Grandine handed his pregnant wife Karissa a fruit smoothie, it probably seemed like a touching gesture. He had a lot of making up to do. He’d been caught cheating and, as a pastor at the local church, it was scandalous.

Karissa had forgiven his seedy liaisons but, as she sipped her drink, she started to feel dizzy and confused. Philip suggested a bath might help, but once in, Karissa and her unborn baby sank to their fate.

Philip, 25, was a pastor at a Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada, and an upstanding member of the community. He also worked as a senior nurse in a retirement home. He was married to insurance underwriter Anne Karissa, 29, who was known by her middle name and originally from the Philippines.

After three years of marriage, Karissa was five months pregnant and couldn’t wait to be a mum. But her world had been shaken when she discovered Philip was having an affair with one of his parishioners, Eileen Florentino, who was 36. Karissa thought they were just friends and felt betrayed.

Philip resigned over the affair and the couple began marriage counselling. Karissa said she’d forgive him if he promised to end it – but within days he was back having sex with his mistress in his car.

Philip had also been caught watching pornography online and looking up local escort services. So Karissa insisted a filter was put on the computer to stop his access.

Philip admitted to his doctor that he was depressed over his marital issues. He told them he wasn’t sure his wife would have been his first choice if he had his life over again.

He didn’t try to save her

On October 17, 2011, two months after his affair was exposed, Philip dialled 911 in a panic. "I was out running and my wife was having a bath, and when I came home she was in the bath, but she’s under the water and she’s not breathing," he said.

When the operator asked Philip to try to get her out of the tub, there were sounds of splashing water and grunts, before he gave up. "I can’t do it," he said. "She’s too heavy. She’s too slippery."

When paramedics arrived they were surprised he hadn’t even drained the water from the bath, or attempted CPR. Philip had medical training – why hadn’t he tried to save her?

Karissa later died in hospital, along with her unborn baby.

An autopsy revealed she had powerful sedative Lorazepam, also known as Ativan, in her system. It hadn’t been prescribed to her.

The drug causes drowsiness, sedation and dizziness, so why would she have taken it? Philip was brought in for routine questioning, but despite suspicions, the police didn’t have enough to charge him.

Later it was revealed that as he planned his wife’s funeral, he continued to have sex with his lover, and while his wife was dying he hadn’t been out running as he claimed – he was on the phone to his mistress.

(Image: Myspace)

The police investigated Philip. They knew he had access to drugs, including Lorazepam, through his work as a nurse. They also discovered that, in the lead up to his wife’s death, Philip had researched the effects of the sedative and had made internet searches including, "Would 100mg of Ativan be fatal?" And the word "autopsy" searched along with "toxicology."

Experts concluded that Philip had spiked Karissa’s banana smoothie with the drug – not enough to make her overdose, but enough to make her drowsy and confused. He’d encouraged his wife to have a bath, then pushed her head under, or let gravity do the rest.

Six months after Karissa’s death, Philip was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was placed on house arrest at his parents’ home as he awaited trial.

In December 2014, Philip pleaded not guilty. The prosecution claimed he’d drugged and drowned Karissa so he could continue his affair – without any thought for his unborn baby. Medical records showed that days earlier Karissa had felt nauseous and had gone to hospital. Experts believed Philip had tested the Lorazepam on her then.

An hour before Karissa was discovered, the pornography filter on Philip’s computer was taken off. He knew his wife wasn’t going to object. "This act on its own demonstrates that Grandine had the intent to kill," claimed the prosecution.

Philip’s mistress testified in court that he’d continued to sleep with her for several months after his wife died.

Philip didn’t take the stand. His defence argued that Karissa took the sedatives herself because she was suicidal over her husband’s affair. But she was a religious woman and would never have harmed herself or her unborn baby. They even suggested she may have slipped in a freak accident.

Out of prison in 15 years

In January this year, Philip Grandine, now 29, showed no emotion as he was found guilty of the manslaughter of his wife Karissa. Superior Court Justice Robert Clark sentenced him to just under 15 years in prison.

Although it couldn’t be proved beyond doubt that he’d planned to kill Karissa that night, the judge believed he would have killed his wife at some point.

He told Philip that Karissa was kind, generous and considerate – even to the woman who was having an affair with her husband. "She was beloved by everyone, except the one who should cherish her most. You. If you were unhappy, all you had to do was leave her," he said.

Karissa’s sister clutched a photograph of the victim and cried as the judge insisted Philip’s actions reached a "depth of depravity that beggars the imagination of any right-thinking person".

After the ruling, Karissa’s mum, Maria Darvin, said that Philip wasn’t sorry. "As a mother, I cannot express the devastation and anguish that was brought about by this terrible act of violence.

"The horrendous actions of Mr Philip Grandine have cost my daughter and grandchild their lives," she said. "He disgraced the nursing profession, betrayed his vows and shattered our hopes."

Philip killed his pregnant wife because he couldn’t give up his illicit hook-ups, or his weakness for pornography. Karissa had been willing to forgive him, but she had paid with her life.

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