Sobs and sighs of relief swept through the air at the Court of King’s Bench in Saskatoon on Friday morning.
Ivan “Robbie” Martell was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Ally Moosehunter.
Upwards of 60 family members and friends wearing red “Justice for Ally” T-shirts packed the courtroom to hear the decision from Justice Neil Robertson. Some stood when there was no room to sit in the courtroom.
The judge said the evidence placed Martell at the scene of the crime on March 4, 2020, in a house on Geary Crescent where he strangled and stabbed Moosehunter to death.
The Crown brought forward 29 witnesses, among them Moosehunter’s brother, who told court that he saw Martell with her in their basement suite hours before her death, and the upstairs tenant, who told court that she heard Moosehunter’s screams.
The family sat in the gallery, forced to relive the event throughout the four-week trial.
Throughout the trial, Martell denied any involvement with the incident.
His head hung low over his knees as he slumped in the bench while awaiting the judge’s decision, the stares of Moosehunter’s loved ones behind him.
Upon the reading of the decision, people erupted from their seats, clapping and yelling, some even swearing at Martell as he was quickly ushered out of the room by officers.
Standing outside holding posters advocating for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the family said that right now, the decision only brings happiness.
“Seeing that justice is now served today, being a First Nation family, in the past, I have witnessed a lot of failure in the justice system,” said Moosehunter’s sister Tiffany Witchekan on Friday. “Today, with the outcome of him getting sentenced to first degree, and my sister getting the justice she deserved, it is really happy.”
She said that over the years, she has continued to share her sister’s story, but now that the trial is over, it is easier to talk about.
“I would go out to our reserve and share her story because I knew it can’t be swept under the rug, I was going to fight and I never kept quiet about it.”
Moosehunter’s brother Jason Witchekan said forgiveness isn’t there for him yet.
“My sister is still gone, this doesn’t bring her back,” he said.
“Now, as a family, we can start to heal properly,” Tiffany added.
Third Vice Chief Aly Bear with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said this is a step in the right direction.
“You don’t see this all the time, especially for all of our MMIWG2S families, you know, they don’t see that justice,” she said. “I’m hoping this can set the precedent that we can start to see more justice for our families moving forward.”
Bear said she hopes moving forward, the justice system gives more voices to Indigenous families going through the same process.
“They are standing up for their family, they are standing up for their loved one, they should be able to show emotion as human beings. We are not robots.”
Martell will serve a life sentence without parole eligibility for 25 years.