No chance of parole for 20 years for Sask. man who murdered Kelly Goforth, Richele Bear

Warning: This story includes graphic details and language that some readers may find offensive

Emotions boiled over in a Regina courtroom as a judge sentenced confessed murderer Clayton Bo Eichler to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 20 years.

A minimum of 20 years behind bars was recommended by both Crown and defence lawyers after Eichler's surprise guilty plea, on Monday, in the deaths of Kelly Goforth, 21, and Richele Bear, 23.

• 'I miss everything about her': Goforth, Bear families share victim impact statements
• Regina man pleads guilty to murders of Kelly Goforth, Richele Bear
• Clayton Eichler chooses trial by judge alone

"I am deeply sorry. There's no reversing this," a weeping Eichler said Tuesday in the Court of Queen's Bench as relatives of Bear and Goforth watched.

"We all know this pain is not going away for a while."

Goforth's body was found in a dumpster in September 2013, but Bear's remains were never found.

After the court proceedings, Kelly Goforth's mother, Maxine Goforth, said she was surprised to hear Eichler apologize.

"I'd just like to say that I'm glad it's all over with," Goforth said, pausing frequently to fight back tears. "I'm satisfied with the verdict because he did something I didn't expect — he apologized."

"That means a lot because, you know, my baby was wrapped in garbage bags and a hockey bag, and I thought he had no soul."

Gorforth said she will tell her grandson that Kelly's killer is sorry, and her family can now move on the best they can.

"It's been hard, hard on our family, and got to let it go," she said. "I feel for the other family because they don't have a daughter to bury. That process still needs to be done for them."

'Burn in hell, you bastard'

Relatives at the hearing cried and angrily demanded that Eichler tell them where he put Bear's remains. 

"I don't have that answer," he said.

"F--king burn in hell, you bastard," one person in the courtroom shouted.

Eichler's lawyer Morris Bodnar earlier told the court that his client was addicted to meth at the time of the murders.

Following the sentencing on Tuesday, Angela Gray — Bear's aunt — said she still doesn't have closure.

"That's never an excuse to do what he's done to these girls," Gray said. "I don't care how addicted he was."

Calling Eichler "a sick, sick man", she said "it's unfair" that he didn't tell them what he did with Richele's body.

Michele Bear — Richele Bear's mother — said didn't believe Eichler's apology.

"I didn't believe him. If he really was sorry, and he really was sympathetic toward me, he would tell me where my daughter is, and he would let my family bring her home so we can start our healing," she said. 

Bear thanked many people in the community, Justice Kovach, and the Regina Police Service for their support for her family. She also added "we'll never stop looking" for Richele.

Much of morning was reserved for victim impact statements. Three members of the Bear family and two from the Goforth family — including the mothers of both victims — had their say.

"My granddaughter meant the world to me," Bear's grandmother Mary Hughes said. "Now all I have are the memories and dreams of her coming home."

Hughes directed some of her comments directly at Eichler.

"I would like you to look at me," she said. "I will never understand why. I would like to know what you did with the body so we'd have closure."

Family members shocked

On Monday, Eichler, 35, was set to go on trial before Justice Fred Kovach for first-degree murder, but in a surprise move, he instead pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in both cases.

With first-degree murder, the sentence is automatically life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years, whereas for second-degree, the minimum time that must be served is 10 years.

Maxine Goforth said family members were shocked by the guilty pleas but relieved they will be spared going through what was originally supposed to be a two-week trial.

Believed to be strangled

Goforth's body was discovered Sept. 25, 2013, in a back alley of an industrial/commercial area east of downtown Regina.

Bear was reported missing several weeks earlier, on Sept. 5.

• Aunt says surprise guilty plea is best outcome for families

The Crown believes both women were strangled. Goforth's body was wrapped in plastic and put in a hockey bag. The bag was found in a dumpster.

Photos retrieved from Eichler's cellphone and computer showed Bear in the back of his vehicle, partially undressed, with her head and face covered. There were also photos of Bear on his bedspread and sleeping bag.