'I don't think it's right': Sask. woman sentenced for aggravated assault on senior
A Prince Albert man said he can start moving on, now that the woman who attacked his 89-year-old father has been sentenced. He said because of the assault, he lost both his mother and father.
Curtis Klarenbach's parents Bev and Carl were excited to start the next chapter of their lives and settle into a senior’s residence.
"It was a place where they could socialize. They could be with other people and do similar things, and it was comfortable for them," Klarenbach told CTV News in an interview on Friday.
The couple looked forward to celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, but everything changed on January 2. That evening Bev and Carl were playing games in the common area when a woman began threatening the other residents. When 89-year-old Carl tried to stop her, he was assaulted.
“He had skull fractures, a couple of brain bleeds, and a sac surrounding his brain was split so, he had spinal fluid leaking and causing pressure,” Klarenbach said.
Carl was hospitalized for four months, and Klarenbach didn't think his father would survive. Before this incident, his father was his mother's caregiver, meaning both of them would have to leave their new home, become separated and move into a nursing home. Klarenbach said his mother died of a broken heart a month after the incident.
“I think she just gave up. You spend that much time with somebody, and then you can’t,” he said.
Carl and Bev Klarenbach were married nearly 70 years before an attack left Carl in the hospital and Bev with a broken heart. (Courtesy: Curtis Klarenbach)
He said his father lost most of his cognitive abilities and has moved into a long-term care home. Carl often wonders where his wife is.
“We explain it to him and he mourns, and then we move on,” Klarenbach said.
April Ross, who was 40-years-old at the time of the incident, was charged with aggravated assault. On Wednesday, she received a four-and-a-half-year sentence, but with credit for time served, she has three years and 11 months remaining.
“I don’t think it's right," Klarenbach said.
“My dad’s in an eight by 12 room, and he will be for the rest of his life. My mom’s in an urn."
He told CTV News he’s relieved the court process is over and can focus solely on caring for his dad.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We've been here before': Trudeau says Canada will prioritize interests in potential U.S. trade renegotiation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that if the next U.S. president re-opens trade negotiations for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Canada will prioritize its own interests.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
WATCH LIVE NOW Deadly Old Montreal fire: police arrest two suspects aged 18 and 20
Montreal police have arrested two young adults in connection with the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that killed two people.
Former public safety minister didn't know about delayed spy warrant, he tells inquiry
Former public safety minister Bill Blair denies having any knowledge about delays in approving a spy service warrant in 2021 that may have included references to people in his own government.
'It went horribly wrong': DNA analysis sheds light on lost Arctic expedition's grisly end
Archaeologists have identified the cannibalized remains of a senior officer who perished during an ill-fated 19th century Arctic expedition, offering insight into its lost crew's tragic and grisly final days.
Winnipeggers arrested after images surface of cats being tortured, killed
Two Winnipeggers have been arrested after images and videos were posted online of animals being tortured and killed.
Partial remains of British climber believed found 100 years after Everest ascent
The partial remains of a British mountaineer who might -- or might not -- have been one of the first two people to climb Mount Everest are believed to have been found a century after their ascent of the world's highest peak, according to an expedition led by National Geographic.
Al Pacino says being a new dad at 84 is a 'mini miracle'
Al Pacino is enjoying being a late-in-life dad. The legendary actor talked about being a father to a brood, including to 16-month-old Roman with producer Noor Alfallah.