Dwayne Demkiw - Justice, Grieving & Healing

January 14, 2019 has been a long time coming for the Demkiw family. The first degree homicide trial for Dwayne Demkiw has finally commenced so the family has gathered in Edmonton, Alberta to attend the scheduled 9 weeks of court.

While the emotional turmoil an event such as this has had is easy to presume, I think what is not so obvious is the financial consequences that being a victim of a major crime can have.

If you get injured at work, there is WCB. If you are injured in a car accident, there is vehicle insurance to assist. If your child is ill and requiring hospitalization there is the Ronald McDonald House for out of town families. However...as it currently sits, there is very little (in fact almost no) funding available to support the victims of major crimes!

Dwayne’s parents Eugene and Angeline Demkiw and brother Darren Demkiw have had substantial expenses incurred since 2015 as well as substantial loss of wages.

Initially, there were the hours, days, months of searching for Dwayne prior to his remains being located in a wooded area near Innisfail on April 6, 2016. Then there was the extradition trial in Seattle to have the accused American citizen, Jason Steadman, transferred to Alberta to stand trial in Edmonton. There were weeks of preliminary inquiry early in 2017 for the Crown to prove they in fact had a strong enough case to stand trial. There were bail hearings and another recent week of hearings late 2018 prior to even beginning the 9 weeks of first degree homicide trial by jury that they now have ahead of them. And in all of this process the Demkiw family has been travelling significant distance from their home in Saskatchewan to Edmonton to attend these hearings.

I sat down with Angeline and Eugene and asked them about what people might be surprised to hear about being the family of a victim of homicide.

“I don’t think people are aware of the timeline that a crime like this takes.” states Dwayne’s mother Angeline. “It’s not a justice system, its a legal system. Even to get help for mental health was a challenge.”

Eugene states that “Once we did get access to those resources they were ok...they were ‘listeners’...however no one specifically trained to deal with homicide cases was available in Saskatchewan. There’s a support group in Edmonton, but it just doesn’t exist in Saskatoon where we live. And the resources that we have attempted to use in Saskatchewan mostly kept referring us back to Edmonton because that’s where the crime happened. There’s just not the specific support there.”

“We’re finding ourselves having to manage two households financially at this point” states Eugene as the family has had need to rent a house in Edmonton for the nine weeks of trial. “I was able to take some leave from work” states Eugene “however it’s only a partial payment. And since Angeline is self-employed there is a complete loss of wages on her end.”

I asked them how this would affect their finances moving forward.

“Well...any retirement has definitely been set back....but it’s more important for us to get justice for Dwayne.” states Eugene.

“And even after March rolls around there’s no guarantee that there’s not appeals, and we need to have a memorial for Dwayne and lay him to rest...I know his friends in Edmonton are waiting patiently for that too, that’s something we have to do for Dwayne” states Eugene.

“And then there will be the expense to hire a lawyer to change the date of Dwayne’s death. The way the legal system sees things the date of death is April 6, 2016...the date his remains were located in the woods near Innisfail. We want that date amended to the actual date of death, May 31, 2015. That is something that is very important to us. And unfortunately that takes more legal fees on our part to accomplish” states Eugene.

“And then there’s Dwayne’s two boys left behind and they’re just starting out as young adults. One of them is going to school. So if they need something we’ve been trying to step in where we can to help.
Contribute what Dwayne would have wanted to for his boys.”

I asked the Demkiw’s as to what has been accessible to them for financial support through any government resources. “We’ve made some applications through the government of Alberta but unfortunately haven’t heard anything back. It’s not assured that we’ll be able to get anything. And we’re still waiting for an answer as to any funding for funeral expenses. Up to this point everything has been on us.”

The Demkiw family have always been generous people involved in their community in various volunteer capacities and it is not in their nature to ask for assistance...which is why this fundraiser has been set up on their behalf.

I know they have been very grateful for the generous donations that have come in thus far. They still have a long road ahead and the financial burden of the next nine weeks of trial could be somewhat alleviated by a successful GoFundMe campaign.

Please SHARE and DONATE if you feel called to do so to help alleviate some of the burden on the Demkiw family. This is an unthinkably tragic experience for a parent to endure and we want them to know they are not alone on this journey.

Lets help support them while they focus on getting Justice For Dwayne!

The Original Story of the Campaign: This account was created in hopes of helping Eugene and Angie Demkiw through a tragedy that no family should ever have to experience. As the trial for Jason Steadman, accused in the murder of their son Dwayne Demkiw begins.

Dwayne Demkiw was last seen on Sunday, May 31, 2015 after leaving his work in Edmonton, Alberta at 4am. Several hours later his vehicle was found on fire in Calgary, Alberta.

For almost a year Eugene and Angie held out hope, even as police feared the worst. Family members spent that year searching for Dwayne, putting up posters across Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. in hopes that someone knew something about what happened to his son. Even with homicide police working on the case, they continued to pray that Dwayne was still alive.

On April 5, 2016 investigators were called to a wooded area in Innisfail, Alta. after someone discovered human bones. Those remains were officially identified as Dwayne Demkiw.

As the investigation into Dwayne’s murder continued, and a bizarre case spanning from Washington State to B.C. to Alberta and back again identified Jason Steadman as the prime suspect.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Steadman on charges of first-degree murder and arson and as soon as Steadman was taken into custody in the U.S., Alberta’s attorney general and the Edmonton police applied to have Steadman extradited to Canada. Jason Steadman’s extradition to Canada was ordered by a Seattle judge and he was turned over to Edmonton police by U.S. Federal Marshalls. 

Dwayne’s parents, as well as other family members now face the second most horrific time of their lives as they endure weeks of trial in the pursuit of justice for Dwayne; an honest and reliable son, brother and father of two boys.

Eugene and Angie, being the most humble people that I know would never ask for help themselves. I cannot imagine how hard this will be, not only emotionally, but physically and most importantly financially. They will now be forced to take an extended leave from work to seek justice for their son and this is a toll that no one should have to bear alone.

The upcoming pre-trial for Dwayne’s murder is set to begin in March. Eugene and Angie will be traveling from Saskatoon, SK to Edmonton, Alberta to attend this trial and will need accommodations and meals, day to day expenses, etc while they are in Edmonton.

This would be a huge financial burden for anyone to take on. The Demkiw’s have enough to face without having to stress out over paying bills or travel expenses.

I would ask that if you can, would you please help in any way to make things a little easier for them. If you may have other ways to help (parking pass, gas cards, food donations etc ) you can or contact myself directly at [email redacted]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all that donate. It's truly appreciated in every way.

https://globalnews.ca/news/2765133/edmonton-police-say-dwayne-demkiw-was-murdered-identify-american-man-as-suspect/

WEEK 2 - Jagged Little Pill

Dwayne’s photo next to a painted rock stating “HOPE” sits central on the Demkiw family’s temporary dining room table in the home they needed to rent for their son’s lengthy first degree homicide trial.

They are just completing the second week. Of nine scheduled weeks. It’s exhausting for them, to say the least.

In the courtroom over the past week they have heard from Dwayne’s friends, employers, many detectives, witnesses to related arson events etc...

So much information. So many emotions. And emotions that must be restrained within the confines of the courtroom in order to not have the possibility to influence a jury.

It’s almost the IMPOSSIBLE to ask of a parent who’s lost their child in such a horrific way. To not show an emotion that could be noticed...

They are committed to respecting the justice system we have in place in Canada. But it’s difficult. And eye opening to see all of the allowances for the accused. Innocent until proven guilty can be a jagged little pill to swallow on this side of the fence. But they endure.

I’ve spent the majority of the past couple weeks with them in the courtroom. In the evenings I’ve shared the names and messages attached to the generous donations on the GoFundMe page. And it has brought a smile to their faces during such a challenging time.

We can’t change the loss. And we can’t control the outcome...but I can tell you, it sure means a lot to see a brief smile on your families face during such a challenging chapter.

Please continue to share this campaign. Let’s take some of the pressure off the Demkiw family during this lengthy road to justice.