A bereaved crime victim speaks out

I am writing this letter with regards to the murder trial in my father’s death.

I feel appalled and disgusted with the length of time it has taken the justice system to bring this matter to trial. Now that it is in the trial stages, I am even more upset that the courts have allowed precious time to spent deciding whether the accused in my father’s murder trial should be held accountable and responsible for killing my father because he was too intoxicated.

To me, being intoxicated is not a valid excuse for harming another person, as a person has a choice whether or not to consume chemical substances. I would like to say that I feel taxpayers’ money is being wasted on this trial if all the lawyers are arguing about is the alcohol content in the accused person’s blood.

The message being sent is that a youth who goes out and gets drunk can get away with murder.

I am very hurt that this is what it has come to. This is my father, Davidee Nowdlak, that we are talking about. If this had happened to someone else’s father I am sure they would feel the same way. Nothing the court hands out as a punishment is going to be punishment enough. Only the Almighty can give the correct punishment.

I now have to live with the fact that my father was killed by another person. I now have to help my children and myself heal from the devastation of this crime. My father’s life was taken away all because some kid went out and got drunk and thought my dad was the person who stole from his grandfather.

My father had a heartbeat and he had rights. His rights were taken in a matter of minutes and his life in a matter of weeks. I feel very sorry for the accused.

My father was a well-known member of the community and many people were affected by his death. What does the accused plan to do with his life after this?

I plan on continuing to let the public know how things like this can happen and how it can affect the lives of many. I plan on educating young children on the affects of bullying.

This has had a huge impact in the lives of myself and my family. I pray that accused will show some sort of remorse and that he will pray for forgiveness. I realize that I cannot hate him for this because that would make me no better of a person than he is. I have learned to forgive, but I will never forget.

Tanya Nowdlak
Edmonton