It was a crime that shook the province and the country to the core.
Five years ago, on Dec. 15, 2011, friends Mitch Maclean, Tanner Craswell, Shayna Conway and Tabitha Stepple were shot by Derek Jensen on a stretch of dark highway near Claresholm. Only Conway survived. Jensen was Stepple’s ex-boyfriend.
The Stepple family said they lost their rock that day. It’s been a constant battle to move forward, but her dad said he is finally starting to win the fight.
“It’s almost daily. You hear people drove by the site. A lot of people travel this road back and forth to Calgary, and the actual site of the crime is about 100 yards that way,” Randy Stepple said.
“I’m better right now than I have been for five years,” he added. “Christmas has been not something to look forward to. This year I’ve come around and thought, sadness isn’t working. We are doing good, we are alight. We are living on.”
READ MORE: Claresholm shooting survivor Shayna Conway back in P.E.I.
Those closest to Tabitha’s family are inspired by their strength.
“You have to move forward,” Tabitha’s mom Renae Stepple said. “I’ve always said, you can either sit in your pity and be angry or sad, or just move forward and do the things you have to do in life and enjoy them, she would want that, she wouldn’t want anything different.”
READ MORE: MacLean and Craswell remembered by former teammates
Crosses beside the highway are a permanent reminder of the three young lives lost, but their memories continue to live on across the country.
“It’s what helps bring you through those tough times, having that support, family support, community support, support from your colleagues, friends. We have had support from all across Canada,” Tabitha’s older sister said Teresa Stepple,
A scholarship has been created in Tabitha’s name at Lethbridge College, to help keep her legacy going.
“She’ll never be forgotten. Every year when they give out that scholarship, she will be remembered,” Renae added.
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