‘Some measure of peace and comfort': Crown prosecutor speaks on Misha Pavelick verdict as sentencing looms
CBC
The Crown prosecutor in the trial for the man convicted of killing Misha Pavelick at a campground in 2006 says he is happy with the verdict.
A 12-person jury found a 36-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder last week after 20 hours of deliberations. CBC News cannot identify the man under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, because he was 17 at the time of the murder.
“We're very grateful for the work that the jury did in this case and for the verdict that they rendered,” Adam Breker said Wednesday.
Breker said the nearly 20-year-old case presented a “unique challenge.”
He pointed to the lengthy RCMP investigation and the large number of witnesses present at the Kinookemaw Campground near Regina Beach, about 45 kilometres northwest of Regina, when Pavelick, 19, was fatally stabbed during the May long weekend.
Breker said it took weeks of work to prepare witnesses ahead of their testimony, with each given “the opportunity to review statements that were given sometimes almost 20 years ago, which in some instances they had not heard since.”
Breker called 34 of his 50 potential witnesses during the month-long trial to help piece together what happened on the night in question. The jury was also presented with photos, DNA evidence and an autopsy report.
“At the end of the day, of course, it'll never bring back Misha Pavelick, and he was lost obviously in a very tragic and sort of unthinkable set of circumstances,” Breker said.
“I certainly hope that that will bring at least some measure of peace and comfort to Misha's friends and family.”
Sentencing for the man is expected to begin at Regina’s Court of King’s Bench Thursday afternoon before Justice Catherine Dawson. Andrew Hitchcock is the defence attorney.
Breker said he gave notice of his intention to seek an adult sentence at the outset of the case, and still plans to pursue that.
“We will wait to see the outcome of any reports that are ordered here in the coming time,” he said.
If sentenced as a youth, the man could face a sentence of at most seven years, with a maximum of four in custody. If sentenced as an adult, the man would be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.
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