A man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2015 death of an Edmonton limo driver.
After a nearly six-week trial, the jury came back within hours to deliver the verdict in Jason Steadman’s trial on Thursday afternoon.
Steadman was charged with first-degree murder in the May 2015 killing of 42-year-old Dwayne Demkiw.
Demkiw’s parents said the guilty verdict will help them move forward in the grieving process.
“It’s like you take a deep breath, and at least that part of this saga will come to a close, so we can try and move on, pick up the pieces and go from there,” Dwayne’s father Eugene Demkiw said.
Demkiw was last seen alive shortly after 4 a.m. on May 31, 2015, when he finished a shift as a limo driver. Investigators found his burning car several hours later in a Calgary parkade. Demkiw’s damaged cellphone was found on Anthony Henday Drive, but police could not find Demkiw himself.
Nearly a year later, his remains were discovered scattered in a field near Innisfail.
“Treasure your kids while they’re around and you have them because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” Demkiw’s mother Angeline Demkiw said.
“You never ever dream that something would happen like this.”
Steadman’s trial began on Jan. 14.
Demkiw’s parents live in Saskatoon but rented a home in Edmonton so they could attend each day of the trial.
“It’s our son,” Eugene said. “The last thing we can do for him is to be at his trial and to represent him.”
They said reliving their son’s final hours during the trial was a nightmare.
“It was awful. It was just awful because he [Steadman] didn’t show any remorse, none at all,” Angeline said
“Bringing everything out again, right from the beginning to the end,” Eugene said.
“It was long, trying days, and going home every other weekend.”
Demkiw’s parents said their son was a devoted father to his two sons, loved his friends and family and had a passion for scuba diving. They added he was never in trouble.
“He was the best son. He phoned me every day, kept in contact with me,” Angeline said. “He loved me and he cared for me. I miss him dearly.”
“Just a good guy all around, no question of helping anybody at all who needed a hand,” Eugene said.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday. However, the conviction comes with an automatic life sentence and no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Demkiw’s parents, along with other family members as well as friends, will share their victim impact statements.
Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of Dwayne Demkiw’s disappearance and death, as well as Jason Steadman’s trial.
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