As Jeffrey Leinen begins serving a 14-year prison sentence for killing Olds College student Nicholas Baier in October 2010, Baier's family is still trying to come to grips with their loss.
In a victim impact statement read in court on Friday, Baier's mother Maggie reportedly said her son's death has changed her family forever.
“A huge part of our inner self died along with Nicholas that night,” she said. “All of Nicholas's and our hopes, dreams and plans for the future were extinguished in a heartbeat.
“We are tortured by the question: Why Nicholas? He was an unsuspecting innocent victim.”
In his victim impact statement, Nicholas's father John called his son an “excellent cattleman as well as a machinery operator, fencer, pen checker, repairman and businessman.”
Frank Van Humback, Baier's uncle and family spokesperson, said the family's grieving process will not end with last week's verdict.
“It's going to be a long and hard process for the family over the next many years,” said Van Humback. “We are relieved that it is wrapped up.”
He said the family is pleased with the length of sentence handed to Leinen.
“We are pleased that he won't be out for many years,” he said.
Leinen's Court of Queen's Bench jury trial in Calgary ended Wednesday with a second-degree murder conviction. He was also convicted of aggravated assault against a second Olds College student, Dan Skocdopole.
Following a three-week trial, the seven-man, five-woman jury found that Leinen intentionally drove his pickup truck into a group of people outside the Texas Mickey bar on October 29, 2010.
Baier, 18, was run over and killed, while Skocdopole was run over and injured. In an agreed statement of facts presented at the outset of the trial, Leinen admitted being the driver of the truck.
About two dozen witnesses, including several people who saw the truck run into the crowd, testified for the Crown.
During the trial the jury heard Leinen was angry and threatening people outside the bar after bouncers forcibly removed him from the establishment after he got into a fight in the bar.
In handing Leinen a 14-year prison term – the minimum is 10 years – Justice Marsha Erb called Leinen's actions on the night Baier died “nothing short of a profound act of cowardice.”
During his closing arguments to the jury, Crown prosecutor Roy Smith told the jury Leinen was angry and combative after being kicked out of the bar.
“The accused was very angry about what happened to him and he wanted to get back at the group,” said Smith. “As he accelerated into this group he intended to cause someone's death. His actions showed his intention.
“He had been in a fight and evicted from the bar and he told people he would get the people who had done this to him. When he says (in a police interview following his arrest) that he didn't gun this truck into the crowd, I say that is a lie.
“Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Baier lost his life when he was run over. This was clearly an intentional act and that, ladies and gentlemen, is murder.”
During Friday's sentencing the jury reportedly heard that Leinen has more than 40 previous criminal convictions, including for impaired driving and dangerous driving.
Defence lawyer Andre Ouellette reportedly said he will have discussions with Leinen before deciding whether to appeal the conviction and sentence.
