It was an emotional morning in an Edmonton courtroom Monday, as the sentencing hearing for Travis Vader, in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann got underway.
Bret McCann, the son of the slain couple, read his victim impact statement in court Monday – his was one of ten written by members of the McCann family.
His parents disappeared in July 2010, while their burned-out motorhome and their abandoned SUV were found in the weeks that followed; but their remains have never been found.
In court, McCann asked Travis Vader: “Where are the bodies of my parents?”
Vader did not appear to react to the question, or many of the other statements presented in court Monday.
Nicole Walshe, granddaughter of the couple, said she is “living life knowing there are truly evil people in the world.”
Walshe’s mother, Mary-Ann McCann said: “[Vader’s] careless act has made our lives so different, it is hard to see we are the same people we once were.”
Bret McCann spoke about a nightmare he continues to have over what happened to his parents.
“Where Vader kills one of my parents and the other one watches, and knowing that they are next,” McCann repeated to reporters outside of court Monday. “I can’t get that vision out of my head.”
The Crown Prosecutor is asking for two life sentences for Vader. The Crown will make arguments near the end of the week-long hearing. The defence is asking for 4 to 6 years behind bars.
Defence arguments will begin Tuesday.
Vader was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann in September, 2016, but his charges were later downgraded to manslaughter.
The charge changed after it was found Justice Denny Thomas had cited an outdated section of the Criminal Code of Canada in his decision.
With files from David Ewasuk
