'Justice for our daughter': Loretta Saunders' family speaks after guilty pleas

Miriam and Clayton Saunders, parents of Loretta Saunders, along with Loretta's sister Delilah, left, attend a news conference about their daughter's killing in Halifax on Thursday, April 23, 2015. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The family of Loretta Saunders, an Inuit woman who was murdered last year, says they are relieved that justice has been served after the two suspects accused in her death pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

"Our prayers were answered," mother Mariam Saunders told reporters Thursday morning.

"I'm overwhelmed, I'm really overwhelmed, but I’m glad we got justice for our daughter."

Saunders' family spoke to the media one day after Blake Leggette and Victoria Henneberry pleaded guilty to murdering the 26-year-old university student.

Leggette pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will face an automatic life sentence, with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

Henneberry pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence and no chance of parole for at least 10 years. The two are scheduled to be back in court for sentencing next week.

Mariam Saunders said she was thankful that the family would be spared the emotional stress of a public trial.

"I'm hurting. I'm going to miss my girl, (but) I'm glad we don't have to go through (that)," she said. "I'm so happy that they got the most (punishment), but it's not going to bring my daughter back."

She thanked supporters for keeping the family in their thoughts and prayers, and also extended condolences to the parents of the suspects. “I can only imagine what their parents are feeling,” she said.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Leggette and Henneberry moved to Halifax last January, and began renting a room from Saunders. Saunders was studying at Saint Mary's University at the time.

The document says Saunders went to collect rent money from the couple on Feb. 13, 2014, after the two had failed to pay.

A struggle ensued and Leggette attempted to choke and suffocate Saunders. Saunders stopped moving after he hit her head twice on the floor, the document said.

The couple dumped Saunders' body in a wooded area in nearby Salisbury, N.B. She was discovered a few days later.

'Her legacy lives on'

Saunders had been writing her thesis on Canada's missing and murdered aboriginal women at the time of her death.

Her sister, Delilah, said Thursday that despite the guilty pleas, these other aboriginal women should not be forgotten.

"While some degree of justice has been served, we cannot forget the women and girls Loretta fought so passionately for," she said. "There are women who do not receive justice and families who do not receive answers. We are grateful that the perpetrators took responsibility, but that often isn't the case.

"Loretta may not be here today, but her legacy lives on and will continue to grow through seeking justice for all missing and murdered indigenous women and girls."

The Loretta Saunders Community Scholarship Fund has been created in Saunders' memory. The fund, which accepts charitable donations, provides financial support to indigenous women as they complete their studies.