WARNING: Details in this article are graphic and may be disturbing to some. Discretion advised.
Since her 18-year-old son Jade’s death in May, Rhonda Belcourt can’t stand seeing the broken fence in her yard — a reminder of the hit and run that ended his life.
On May 22, Belcourt and her boyfriend were watching a movie when, all of a sudden, they heard a crash. They ran outside and saw a truck had smashed through their fence and peeled out.
“By the time I got to the front door, my oldest son was bleeding from the head, screaming. And then I saw my Jade, lying there on top of the fence. Then I just lost it and started screaming,” she said.
Rick Dagg ran over. He wanted to attempt CPR, but said Jade’s head was tilted awkwardly and blood was coming from his ears.
“I put my hand kind of on his back and I just told him to hold on. Then I guess two or three minutes later, he kind of shuddered. Everyone thought he was OK because he did that, but I think that was his last gasp,” he said.
An autopsy later confirmed the 18-year-old died from spine trauma.
READ MORE: Teenager in critical condition after west Edmonton hit and run
Jade’s death still haunts Dagg. He’s been having trouble sleeping and stepped down from his job as a foreman.
“It’s something I’ll never forget. It’s something that just sticks with me. I think about it every single day.
“It almost seemed surreal when it happened. You wake up the next day and — yeah, it did happen. It’s hard to get over.”
Before the truck smashed into the yard, Dagg said Jade’s older brother Jordan allegedly got into a fight with the vehicle’s owner — someone he knew. When the man left to go to his truck, someone from the Belcourt’s yard followed him and reportedly began throwing bricks at the vehicle.
But Rhonda is certain Jade was innocent and doesn’t understand why he was killed.
“He didn’t do drugs. He didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink. There was no reason for him to be out there,” she said.
She described her youngest of four sons as an introvert.
“He played video games, he went to school,” Rhonda said.
“He was just quiet. Smiled all the time.”
Jade had just moved in with his mom a week and a half before his death. He was supposed to go to trade school in the fall.
“I was so excited. He was so excited. If I would’ve left him in Edson he probably would still be alive,” Rhonda said.
Police originally asked for help finding the driver, eventually arresting a 31-year-old man and charging him with second-degree murder as well as a number of other offences.
Just a few days later, all charges were dropped.
READ MORE: Charges withdrawn against suspect in hit and run that killed Edmonton teen
“The detective phoned me and said they took it in front of the prosecutors and they said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him with murder. I just can’t understand it.”
“All I know is my son is dead.”
Dagg said the couple is frustrated at the lack of communication about why the charges were withdrawn, and no new charges have been laid.
“Just call her and let her know what’s going on, instead of leaving her in the dark.”
He said he can’t make sense of what happened.
“Jade was a good kid who didn’t deserve to die. Nobody deserve to die, but he was just too young,” he explained.
“I can’t forgive this and I don’t think I ever will. People say forgive and forget, but I can’t forget it so how can I forgive it?”
Rhonda just wants justice for Jade.
“He was just special to me. He was my youngest and I loved him.”
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