Katherine Dufresne

Katherine Dufresne (born c. 1958 - January 11, 2012) was a French-Canadian villainess who murdered her seven-year-old adopted daughter, Sophie Fitzpatrick.

Katherine and her husband, Murray Fitzpatrick, adopted Sophie (who was born in China) 5 1/2 years prior and raised her in their native Canada. On October 22, 2011, Katherine strangled Sophie to death as part of a planned murder-suicide, though Katherine's attempt to end her life failed. Murray arrived home to find his daughter deceased and his wife injured, and following Katherine's arrest, the investigation revealed that Katherine had left a suicide note explaining the reasons for her sudden heel turn, though the contents weren't revealed.

On January 9, 2012, Katherine was deemed fit to stand trial for Sophie's murder, but two days later, the villainess hung herself inside the jail shower.