Grieving Brockville parents fear justice won’t be served in grave desecration case

The grieving family of Graysen Gemperle, worried that a series of court delays will keep justice from being served in the case of Graysen’s grave desecration, have reached out to the Brockville community for support.

In April of 2016, Katherine Collins and Haley Peyman were charged with committing an indecent act at a grave site, after a video surfaced allegedly showing a woman squatting and urinating on Graysen’s grave.

The three-year-old died in 2013 after years of physical and neurological complications caused by a rare condition in the womb.

“I just couldn’t understand why someone would do that. It was pretty bad,” Graysen’s father, Marc Gemperle said. “Even three years after his death that they would do that out of spite or anger.”

But, the video has caused the parents to continue grieving the past 15 months.

Trial dates have been pushed back a number of times – and it’s now nearing the cut-off to section 11b of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom – the right to be tried within a reasonable time.

“I’m pretty much worried that nothing is going to come of this and that it’s just been a waste of time fighting,” said Graysen’s mother Alisha Tackaberry.

With the October 23rd court date fast approaching, Tackaberry and Graysen’s step-mother, Brittany Robinson, have been canvassing the City of Brockville for signatures to include in a community impact statement.

“Basically, (the Crown) told us that our only hope was to make a community impact statement,” Robinson said. “To collect all these letters and show that we have the community’s support in hopes of getting some sort of result.”

So far, they estimate more than 600 letters have been signed — from all across the country.

“They have all the evidence I believe they would have ever need to fully proceed with teaching these girls a lesson, in the fact that you cannot just come and desecrate the grave of anyone,” Tackaberry said.