WATCH ABOVE: Frustrations are boiling over as the sentencing for a man who hit and killed an Edmonton couple has been delayed again. Jessica Kent explains.
EDMONTON — The children of an elderly couple killed when their vehicle was rear-ended more than two years ago will have to wait even longer for the closure they’ve been seeking since 2013.
Sentencing for Douglas James Goyer was delayed in Vegreville Provincial Court on Tuesday after the 41-year-old fired his lawyer. Goyer pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving causing death in April for a crash that killed Sheila and Allen Walker in June 2013.
The couple’s family said Tuesday was not the first time sentencing for Goyer had been delayed.
“It’s devastating and it’s demoralizing,” said Kathie Peterson, the Walkers’ middle child. “You’re always hoping for some sort of a resolution so that you can make peace with whatever the judge decides and move on and move forward in your life.”
“The impact on the family is profound,” added Linda-Rae Carson, the couple’s eldest child. “It is like living in a prison in a way.”
On June 29, 2013, Sheila, 78, and Allen, 74, were heading to their cabin in Saskatchewan when they pulled over about 40 minutes east of Edmonton. They were stopped on the shoulder of Highway 16 when their vehicle was hit from behind by a tow truck.
Sheila and Allen, who were both wearing seat belts at the time, were pronounced dead at the scene. Peterson’s dog, Winston, was also in the vehicle and died in the crash.
Peterson spent the weekend finalizing her victim impact statement and hoped she would finally get the chance to read it Tuesday.
“You know that your parents would want you to move on and to put this behind you, to remember but to continue to move on. You hope that there’s going to be some kind of justice,” she said.
“You’re forever changed,” added the couple’s son, Todd Walker, who is the youngest child. “Every day it’s a struggle and you’ve just got to make a decision about how you’re going to get on with life.”
Goyer’s next court appearance has been scheduled for Monday. If he has a new lawyer, the judge will set a new date for sentencing.