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With a guilty verdict already on the books, Crown prosecutor Adam Breker said the Misha Pavelick murder case was one of the largest he’s been involved with.
The trial lasted four weeks from beginning to end, included two weeks of evidence and 34 witnesses who took the stand.
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On Friday, the jury found the accused guilty of second-degree murder. He was 17 at the time of the killing in 2006, so he cannot be named publicly.
There were 17 years between Misha’s death and the murder charge being laid, with RCMP investigating through the intervening years.
Breker said it was a big process to take the RCMP’s investigation and files, and order them into a case that could be presented to the jury.
“This case, being almost 20 years old, and there having been such an enormous number of people that were out at Kinookimaw (campground) that weekend, it made for a unique challenge in terms of zeroing in who the most important people were and presenting a case in a way that wasn’t overwhelming for the jury, that was easy to understand, but also ensured that they got all of the important information that we had,” said Breker.
He said it wasn’t a particularly technical case as it was mostly eye-witness evidence.
“But it was a very big case, by virtue of the fact that there were so many people that had spoken to the police over the years that were out there that night or that had seen some aspect of what went on,” he said.
Breker wouldn’t say too much about why the charge was laid when it was, explaining it was more in the RCMP’s purview, but he did say the investigation started that night and didn’t end in the days, weeks or months that followed.
“Police definitely knew a lot about what happened, even in the early hours. But that investigation that unfolded was complex, and it spanned into the 2020s,” said Breker.
Grateful for the verdict
Breker said he was grateful for the verdict and also for the jury itself. He said they had an enormous responsibility, gave their time and attention, and clearly carefully considered their verdict.
“We hope that this verdict will go some distance to give a little bit of closure to Misha’s friends and family, though, of course, we understand Misha’s death can’t ever be undone,” he said.
He also said he was grateful for the trial having brought to light the details of what happened that night.
“It was something, I think, for a lot of people in this community, it was being talked about and wondered about for nearly two decades, and we believe the trial certainly uncovered the facts of what happened — in that way we hope it’ll bring a little bit of closure for those that were close to Misha,” said Breker.
Next, the process of sentencing will begin, including a number of reports required through the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Breker said he’s already filed his intention to seek an adult sentence for the accused.
The accused is now in his 30s, and Breker said that might factor in a little bit.
“There are a number of things that play into the circumstances of the accused, but in general, as kind of a starting point for how to think about this, we will be sentencing on the basis of who the offender was at the time of the incident,” he said.
The youth sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, with no more than four years being in custody. The adult sentence is life in prison without a chance of parole for 10 years.
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