Seeing Justice Done

[Sandra Ruttan]

She was 16, pretty, with her whole life ahead of her.

Until she encountered a killer at a bus stop.

He raped her, stuck pins in her, struck her in the face with a brick repeatedly and she eventually died from a fractured skull and asphyxiation.

Her killer taunted police with a letter at the time of the murder: "I won't strike again until next year at the same time... Set up your bait and try to catch me ... See ya next year."

Her name was Darlene and 25 years after the conviction of her killer, her family still lives with the pain, a pain compounded by the fact that in this country life does not mean life…

In order to keep Darlene’s killer behind bars her family must face her killer and read a victim impact statement. And, even if they’re successful in their bid to keep him behind bars he’ll be able to apply for parole again in 2 years.

This is something Darlene’s family hopes to change. They have a petition online that people can sign to support keeping this killer behind bars… and it’s a step toward seeing the laws change in this country.

Please consider visiting the website and signing the petition. There are a lot of laws in this country that should change. Consecutive sentencing instead of concurrent, which was a big issue raised by the Bernardo/Homolka trial. You don't have to be Canadian to sign.

You’d think with all the news I read and all the criminal profiling and books and such that I might get desensitized, but this story in the news put a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Signing a petition is such a small thing to do to show a little bit of a support for a family that’s had to endure the unthinkable.

[Sandra Ruttan]

I agree Patti. I don't have kids, but my niece is twelve - this horrible story strikes a nerve. And I feel that this killer is in the class of subhuman you refer to. He taunted the police and demonstrated no remorse for this vicious murder. He shouldn't be allowed out.

[Patti McCoy Jacob]

I don't even need to have a 15-year old daughter in order to feel anguish for this family. But the fact that I do makes it all the more horrific to read this story. I will never understand why someone who can so coldly end the life of another is allowed to someday live among the rest of us. I am not talking crime of passion, I am talking cold-blooded, I-don't-give-a-damn-that-your-life-makes-a-difference-to-the-world kind of murder. As with child molesters, I think there are certain kind of subhumans - and regardless of why they're that way, I don't care - who should never see the light of day again. It's called Survival of the Most Humane.