'Everybody deserves a second chance': Yorkton murder victim's sister says she forgave killers
The sister of a Yorkton man who was murdered in 2018 said she has forgiven the four people connected to his death.
Investigators believe 25-year-old Colin Robert Focht was killed in September 2018. His remains were found the following spring in a rural area near Yorkton.
Police believe four people were involved in the murder.
“I actually did forgive them. I think everybody deserves a second chance,” Mary Anne Focht, Colin’s sister, said in an interview.
Last week, 26-year-old Jordan Ironstand was sentenced to life in prison for the death of Colin Focht after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Taiya Hudy, 22, served two years in prison for accessory to murder.
Two others were youths at the time of the offence. One has served time while the other is awaiting sentencing.
Ironstand will be eligible for parole in 12 years.
“It was a joint submission, so this is what Jordan wanted,” Ironstand’s defense attorney Aleida Oberholzer said.
Oberholzer said pleading guilty was Ironstand’s first step in his healing path.
“He needs to behave in custody, he needs to make the right steps to show that he can get out on parole and that he is rehabilitative,” she added.
‘YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK’
Mary Anne said she was traumatized during Colin’s cremation.
“When I saw it being deformed it felt like he was screaming,” she said.
"I’ll never forget April 4th when they found his body finally after the many months. This whole thing has changed Mary Anne and I and the other sisters lives in different ways,” Focht family Spokesperson Sheila Webster said.
“You can never go back to who you were before.”
Mary Anne and Webster have written four separate victim impact statements as part of the court proceedings.
“Mary Anne and I actually wrote each victim impact statement differently, because it’s different for each person and how their part in the murder was, and also knowing their backgrounds and what kind of support they did or did not have through their life,” Webster said.
“I felt really upset, and I just wanted to get the emotions through to the perpetrators, that they would be able to realize the mistake they did,” said Mary Anne.
Both Mary Anne and Webster have been open-minded to the process.
“If you don’t forgive you’re held hostage to the crime, and that you’ll never have peace in your life” Webster said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.