Eugene and Angeline Demkiw were in court in Edmonton for six weeks in January and February to hear details of their son’s murder.
On Feb. 22 the jury found Jason Steadman, who is from the U.S., guilty of first degree murder in the death of the Dwayne Demkiw, 42, who was originally from Saskatoon.
Demkiw, who lived in Edmonton, went missing in 2015. His car was found on fire in Calgary. His remains were discovered a year later in a wooded area in Innisfail, Alta.
His parents rented a house in Edmonton so they could be there for the trial.
“It was just a must because that's the last thing we could do for Dwayne to get justice for him. There was no ifs ands or buts about it,” Eugene told CTV News.
The court case was complex. Steadman had been in custody awaiting trial for nearly three years.
The Demkiws say Steadman showed no remorse in court.
“He's a cold blooded killer. He has no remorse at all. When I did my victim impact statement and held up Dwayne’s baby picture, he showed no remorse to me as a mom,” Angeline said.
During the trial the Demkiws couldn’t have any contact with their son’s friends because they were all potential witnesses.
Now that the trial is over, they plan to hold a memorial so everyone can remember their son.
The murder has taken a toll financially as well, cutting into their retirement savings. They spent money on a year-long search even using a helicopter. They also rented a house for six months in Edmonton so they could be close to court. Their friends set up a GoFundMe page which has helped with some costs.
Dwayne has a younger brother and two sons who do not live in Saskatoon, but do visit.
The Demkiws want to set up a support group in Saskatoon for those grieving a murdered loved one.
They attended a similar session in Edmonton and say it was a great help in the grieving process
