'I do not harbour any hate': Mother forgives 4 men who killed her son in prison

Four inmates who boot-stomped a man to death in his jail cell should spend eight to 10 years in prison for their crime, the Crown argued at a sentencing hearing on Friday. 

Tyrell Runningrabbit, Trent Fox, Vincent Cardinal and Thomas Abraham were all charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year.

David James Klassen, 33, was attacked and fatally injured at the Drumheller Institution on Feb. 21, 2022.

No motive has been disclosed, but Cardinal's lawyer, Shawn King, told the court on Friday the men entered Klassen's cell "not to kill this man but to teach him a lesson."

'They revisit the success of their violence'

Surveillance camera footage from the prison showed the men pushing Klassen back into his cell as he tried to leave just after noon that day. 

The four men leave and return several times over the next 16 minutes. 

"They revisit the success of their violence," noted Justice Sean Dunnigan. 

About 30 minutes after the first attack, an inmate discovered Klassen's body and called for guards. 

Prosecutor Heather Morris noted the killing was a "four-on-one beating — four offenders on one vulnerable victim."

The attack involved stomping on Klassen's head and neck, according to an agreed statement of facts filed as part of the guilty plea last year. 

Forgiveness

At the time of his death, Klassen was serving a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter. In 2017, he admitted to killing a man who had stolen money from him. The killing was related to drug trafficking. 

His mother wrote a victim impact statement read aloud in court by Morris.

Sheila Klassen said her grief "feels like it will never end."

She and her son spoke almost daily and were making plans to spend time together upon his release.

But Klassen also wrote a message of forgiveness to the four men who killed her son.

"I do not harbour any hate in my heart," she said. "You have chosen a path in life that has taken you to a dark place."

'A finishing school for criminals'

Cardinal's lawyer said his client is working to turn his life around.

"He realizes his life can't keep going like this," said King. 

James McLeod, who represents Runningrabbit, described jail as "a finishing school for criminals." 

"We have to recognize the reality of how these people were living — they were in prison," said McLeod. 

McLeod says his client feels remorse. 

Defence lawyers Allan Fay, Matt Browne, King and McLeod proposed sentences for their clients that ranged from six to eight years. 

A date for Dunnigan's decision will be set next week.