A Saskatchewan man charged with the deaths of three Edmonton women has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench heard on Friday how Brandon Stucka stole a truck and crashed into a minivan while travelling in the wrong lane of Highway 16 near Lloydminster, Sask. last September. Eva Tumbay, Jeanette Wright, and Glorious David, all occupants in the minivan, were killed in the crash. Janet Gaye, another occupant of the van, was seriously injured.
Members of the Edmonton Liberian community, which all four women were a part of, offered their forgiveness to Stucka.
“I forgive him,” Nancee Daniels, Tumbay’s family friend, told CTV Saskatoon. “I honestly have no anger towards him. I truly forgive him and I hope he does the same for himself.”
Glory Blamo, Gaye’s husband, said he had travelled to Battleford to tell Stucka directly that he forgave him.
“It’s what sets me free,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.
Gaye’s victim impact statement was read in court and said her family’s life has changed since she’s been injured.
“We have to do everything for her literally. It’s a huge change for her children to see that,” Blamo said.
The tragic collision left 10 children motherless.
“We’re so hurt,” said Emmanuel Bracewell, Wright’s son. “I don’t know how we’re going to move forward. But we’re trying, the community is strong.”
Stucka pleaded guilty in May to nine charges, including three counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The 27 year old had stolen the truck after breaking into a Wilton, Sask., business and taking the keys, according to Crown prosecutor Mitch Piche. A chase with RCMP was called off before the collision because of public safety concerns. Following the crash, Stucka fled the scene, hiding in an oil-pump shack before being arrested.
He apologized to the families and friends of the victims, stating the crash wasn’t his intent.
“All the people I’ve hurt, I pray you can find it in your hearts to forgive me while I struggle to forgive myself,” he said in court.
The court heard how Stucka had been abused growing up, was homeless as a teenager and had battled mental health and addiction issues.
The tragedy leaves the tight-knit Edmonton Liberian community without three of its pillars.
Wright, known as a mother to all, emigrated from war-torn Liberia and helped other families settle in Canada.
Members of the community often asked David for guidance and advice, while Tumbay was remembered for organizing events and her remarkable cooking.
With a report from CTV Saskatoon’s Angelina Irinici
