(from her first book "My Short Stories (Book One)", published in March 2011)
Once
upon a time, I was a loving mother. I had a handsome and smart 15 year
old son named Tyler. I was so proud of him – he had so much potential
that he could have done anything he wanted to in life. He was my baby –
the centre of my universe - the love of my life: until 3 men (2 adults
and 1 teenager) decided to celebrate Caribana 6 years ago by beating my baby to
a bloody pulp and then dumping his body into Lake Ontario.
The nightmares and flashbacks never cease for me. These 3 men beat my son so severely that they almost beheaded him. At least, that’s what the autopsy results showed. And, what happened to the 3 perpetrators? The 2 men who were adults plead guilty to first-degree murder charges and were sentenced to life behind bars. The third one, who was just 17 days short of his 18th birthday, was treated as a young offender, coming under the auspices of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (or, Young Offenders Act, if you like). As of now, he is under “house arrest” at home with his father, but is still allowed to play sports and work outside of his home.
Even after participating in my son’s brutal murder, this young man is pretty much allowed to do anything he wants. I wonder if he is celebrating Caribana this year? I know that Tyler will never have that opportunity. Instead, he “rests in peace” in Duffin Mills Cemetery in Pickering, all but forgotten by the rest of the world. But, I won’t let the world forget about my baby any longer. I want people to know how it feels for a mother to lose her child, especially in this horrific way. I want them to know that, because our criminal justice system coddles young offenders, a murderer may soon be walking among us, free.
In the name of “rehabilitation”, or whatever the authorities want to call it, this murderer will actually be allowed to attend university full-time this fall and study just like a regular student. No one in his classes will know who he really is or what he has done. He will not be required to explain his heinous actions to anyone. But, Tyler never got to complete high school and he will never be able to attend university. Tyler will never again be out in the community like this young man, having fun and playing with his friends. It’s far too late for him.
Not only am I determined to let people know about this murderer among us, I will continue to work endlessly to prevent his full release back into society. He should be made to account to the authorities for his actions for the rest of his life. In fact, I have promised myself, and Tyler, that I will attend each and every one of this man’s court hearings, informing the media about each one. I will follow him till one of us is dead because I have to seek vindication for Tyler’s short life on this earth somehow. If the youth justice system won’t do it, then I will do it and also get the media involved to help me spread the word. And then, perhaps, when we do spread the word, he and other murderers who were convicted as youth offenders will be made accountable to society for what they have done.
There’s another compelling reason. Doing this for Tyler’s sake may also help other mothers and fathers to be able to bear the constant pain and emptiness of the loss of their child. I know that feeling because I bear that kind of pain every day.
Somehow, it shouldn’t matter how my child was lost, but the fact that Tyler was murdered so viciously makes it much more difficult to accept. What if he had been killed in an accident or had been a victim of a terminal disease? Would that have made it easier for me to bear his loss? No, I don’t think so. When a child dies through some “unpreventable” event, you really can’t blame anyone (other than Fate or God) for that. After all, people die of various causes all the time. Even murders happen on a regular basis. I would just like to believe that there is such a thing as retribution and justice somewhere – that a murderer should not be allowed to walk among us, free. We should not have to be the unsuspecting public who now has to accept this person at face value. I’m sure that anyone of us would agree that we tend to trust people that we’ve just met, until they give us a reason not to any longer.
I believe that my son’s 3 murderers should all be put into prison for the rest of their lives, with no parole. To set this former teenager free now is like the criminal justice system saying to him, “There, there....we know that you’ve been a very bad boy, but we are prepared to let you out if you promise never to hurt anyone ever again.” It’s such a ridiculous attitude, don’t you think? This “young” offender (now an adult) who is now almost completely free must be having a good laugh. He didn’t have to “pay” for his crime. Only 4 and a half years were spent in youth detention (not in prison) and that could hardly be what I would call just and fair “payment”. Unless the authorities (the courts) “wake up and smell the coffee”, this criminal will soon be free to murder some other unsuspecting young person who may make the terrible mistake of trusting him.
No one’s ever forgotten the O.J. Simpson trial and how O.J. got acquitted for the first degree murder of his ex-wife and her lover. He was set free by an overzealous criminal justice system that was anxious to convict him. But, because of that blunder, he can never be tried again for his crime and will be free for life. How would you, as a member of the general public, feel about having a murderer be set free, knowing that he is a murderer? How would you like it if a young murderer that you knew should have gone to prison got off instead with youth detention for only 4 and a half years? Tyler’s murderer could actually end up being your next door neighbour, or your grocer, or the janitor in your building. The sad truth is that none of us will be safe as long as murderers are allowed to be free to walk among us.
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