Alex Radita would have turned 24 today. When he died in 2013, he was 15 and weighed just 37kg after his parents refused for years to treat his type 1 diabetes. In 2017, Emil and Rodica Radita were convicted of first-degree murder in their son’s death and are currently serving life in prison. They isolated their son, keeping him away from school and doctors in the years leading up to his death. This week, a District Court judge will examine the circumstances of Alex’s killing with a view to making recommendations to prevent similar deaths. After the parents were convicted, then-U.S. Attorney Susan Pepper said the trial revealed “tears in our social safety net.” Although Alex was in the care of the province of British Columbia for a time after his parents failed to treat his diabetes, he was eventually returned to his family, and no one from that province contacted Alberta social services when the Raditas moved. here. Alex had signed up to be homeschooled, but even though he didn’t go to work, no one in the education system ever looked at the boy. The parents also did not take Alex to a doctor in his later years, so no doctor could see the child’s deterioration. Alex Radita stands next to his board in 2004, when he enrolled in a BC school. (Sandy Wong)
