WATCH ABOVE: John Kwiatkowski was randomly beaten to death in his own home. Fletcher Kent was at court for the sentencing hearing.
EDMONTON — Sentencing began Tuesday morning for a Saskatchewan man who admitted to beating an Edmonton man to death in his home with a lead pipe.
The man was 17 years old at the time of the murder. Last year, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2011 homicide.
The attacker escaped from a youth detention centre northeast of Regina and stole several vehicles before making his way to Edmonton. He cannot be named because at the time, he was three days shy of his 18th birthday.
The night of April 13, 2011, he entered the unlocked home of John Kwiatkowski, 29, and attacked him while he slept.
Kwiatkowski’s two-year-old daughter woke-up during the attack. She was inadvertently hit with the pipe and sustained minor injuries. The attacker put the young girl back to sleep, then stole her piggy bank and some video games before leaving.
A year later, DNA from a pop can helped police make an arrest.
On Tuesday, Kwiatkowski’s family gathered in court to hear what penalty the man who randomly killed the 29-year-old father will face.
“He was a dedicated father. He worked for the city and his life was family,” said his brother Nick.
“Our family was one whole solid rock,” said Nick. “To tear one person away, it literally just crumbled.”
In court, Kwiatkowski’s family described four years of depression and pain.
Fourteen people requested to enter a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing.
Kwiatkowski’s body was found the next morning by his wife, a nurse who returned home from a night shift.
The Crown wants Kwiatkowski’s killer to be sentenced as an adult.
“He can get a life sentence and be in prison for the rest of his life and we’re not going to be happy,” said Nick. “There’s no such thing as closure. There’s no such thing as justice.”
Comments