Todd Laframboise keeps a photo of his brother Collin with him in his car. It’s a constant reminder of the young man who was killed in Calgary in 2006.
“I think about him every day. It still hits me like it was yesterday. I miss him and I wish he was here,” Todd Laframboise said on Tuesday.
Collin was stabbed to death near his northwest Calgary home. Two men were found guilty of manslaughter. One of them, Chase Leland Hehr, was sentenced to five years in prison with a 10-year firearms prohibition.
“The whole family was very upset. We felt that five years was practically a slap on the wrist for taking someone’s life,” Todd said.
Hehr is now facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 24-year-old June Rose.
She was found dead in a home in Bassano, east of Calgary, on Jan. 22.
According to friends, Rose and Hehr were married in 2017. They had met in Vancouver but soon moved to Alberta.
“I can’t believe this. She had such a loving heart,” said Helen Tommy, a friend who has known Rose for a decade.
Friends say they had no idea about Hehr’s criminal history and they don’t know if Rose did either.
“I didn’t even look into him. I didn’t think to. You never really think to look into a past like that,” Tommy said.
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For Todd Laframboise, news of June Rose’s murder has brought up terrible memories of losing his brother.
“It’s terrible. My heart goes out to her family. I know what they’re going through. It’s terrible that it’s devastating to lose someone,” he said.
Hehr will be appearing in Brooks Provincial Court on Jan. 30.
Rose’s friends in Vancouver are planning a vigil. They hope to get message of support out to all women and raise awareness about domestic abuse.
“She was ready to leave that guy. I wanted her to come home so badly,” Tommy said.
“There are so many supports out there and there are so many people out there that are ready to help. Don’t let yourself get secluded. Don’t let your abuser think that your family doesn’t love you or that your friends don’t love you or support you.”