Two victims of a mass killing at a house party in Calgary last year are being honoured during the 2015 Juno Awards festivities.
Zackariah Rathwell, 21, and Josh Hunter, 23, were featured as part of an In Memoriam segment at a gala on Saturday night.
The two Calgary men were in the up-and-coming rock band Zackariah and the Prophets. The group had released an EP, entitled “Goodnight Icarus,” just prior to the pair’s deaths.
Fellow band member Kyle Tenove told CTV News Channel that the Junos' tribute was an "amazing gesture."
"It is very moving that they would be remembered as musicians, because … music was a true passion for them," Tenove said.
Tenove said that Zackariah and the Prophets liked to play "funky" rock, and were inspired by an eclectic mix of artists – from Led Zeppelin to James Brown.
The band had played a sold-out show in Calgary, the weekend before the slayings.
Tenove described Rathwell and Hunter as "fun-loving guys" who loved music, and were excited about the band's future.
"Before they passed, we were really looking forward to what was coming next," he said.
The two young men -- along with Lawrence Hong, 27, Jordan Segura, 22, and Kaiti Perras, 23, -- were fatally stabbed at a house party on April 15, 2014.
Matthew de Grood, 23, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.
Tenove is also co-executive director of Zackariah and the Non-Profits, which is a charitable foundation created in honour of the victims.
The organization is raising money for five scholarships funds, as well as local non-profits associated with music.
While Tenove admits that the past year has been a struggle, he said the community has come together to deal with the loss.
"It has been difficult -- it has had its ups and downs – (but) there's been outreach from the community, our friends, family – everybody's been supporting each other," he said.
