Misha Pavelick’s family speaks at killer’s sentencing hearing

A Regina man convicted of second-degree murder in a 2006 killing is now undergoing sentencing. Jacob Carr reports.

Members of Misha Pavelick’s family gathered in a Regina courtroom Tuesday, as the sentencing of the man found guilty of Pavelick’s 2006 murder got underway.

Misha’s sister, Kathleen Marshall, recounted her emotions on the day her brother died in a statement - telling the court of the confusion and anguish her family experienced in the immediate aftermath.

She said those feelings have not faded in the nearly two decades since Misha’s death.

“What was taken from me was not just my brother but a lifetime of memories, experiences that he was meant to have. Misha mattered, his life mattered, and the impact of losing him is something I will carry for the rest of my life,” Marshall’s statement read.

“This is not something that ended in 2006, this is something that we continue to live with every single day.”

Pavelick, 19, was fatally stabbed at a graduation party held near Regina Beach on May 21, 2006. No arrest was made in the connection to the killing until 2023.

A 37-year-old Regina man, who was 17 at the time of Pavelick’s death and cannot be named due to the protections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was found guilty of second-degree murder in November of last year.

• Man accused of killing Misha Pavelick in 2006 found guilty of second-degree murder

A 12-person jury reached the verdict after two days of deliberations – capping off the high profile three-week trial.

Misha’s father, Lorne Pavelick, also shared a victim impact statement Tuesday - speaking about his son’s passion for sports and his love of people.

“I would give anything to hear him say dad lets play a round, one more time,” he said. “I am heartbroken I will never again experience a chat together or play on stage together. He loved people more than anything else. He was not just my son, but the type of person that the world genuinely needed more of.”

Reflecting on the day of Misha’s death, Lorne said he constantly relives the final moments he spent with his son.

“I do not know if he heard me when I told him I loved him and everything would be okay just before he died. I have lived with that thought for the last two decades. The grief does not end and does not stop. It’s an abyss of heartbreak and loss, I think of him everyday,” he said.

“He is not just a name and file; he is a real person who is loved and cherished by his family and friends.”

In her statement, Marshall recounted the day of Misha’s funeral.

Classmates and friends could be seen breaking down in tears – while so many people attended the service that some were forced to wait in the funeral home’s garage.

However, those affected by Misha’s death have spanned multiple generations.

According to Marshall, a well-known mural of Misha in Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood was how she introduced her daughter to her uncle.

“I am anxious for the day it may no longer be there,” she wrote. “And the memory of Misha in the community will start to fade.”

Sentencing proceedings are set to continue until Thursday.

With files from Jacob Carr