The family of a man left paraplegic by an alleged aggravated assault in a bar last year was very visible during the first part of the trial of the accused last week.
The Kim Madsen trial was scheduled for two days November 29 and 30, but has now been extended for two more days December 28 and 29 with a further continuation day February 1 in case it is not concluded this year. For trial coverage, see story on Page A1-A2.
During the first two trial days, at least a dozen family members and supporters of Dennis Peepeetch, many wearing 鈥淛ustice for Dennis鈥� t-shirts, showed up to listen to Crown鈥檚 case against Madsen.
Peepeetch鈥檚 mother, Vicky Wapemoose, and sister Tamara Peepeetch talked to Yorkton This Week after court on Wednesday. None of the following allegations have been proven in a court of law.
Wapemoose, Peepeetch鈥檚 mother, explained what 鈥淛ustice for Dennis鈥� means to her.
鈥淭hat [Madsen] is sent to prison for what he did,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e researched aggravated assault and you can get up to 14 years. I want the maximum, because right to this point in time I don鈥檛 feel that Dennis has been treated fairly. This happened over a year ago. This should have already been dealt with; everything should have been done. He鈥檚 been free all this time. He鈥檚 had four breaches; he鈥檚 still free. It鈥檚 my son that鈥檚 serving a life sentence right now, my son is paralyzed from the chest down, he will never walk again, he鈥檚 in pain 24-hours-a-day, he needs 24-hours-a-day care.鈥�
Tamara was more specific about the impact she hopes the outcome will have on the accused.
鈥淚 really hope that Mr. Madsen gets a sentence that every day he has to think about what he鈥檚 done, that he has sleepless nights like we do, his stress levels are brought up like we do, he hurts like we do,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I hope that this doesn鈥檛 just get let go because I grew up here, I know the justice that鈥檚 served in Yorkton and I鈥檓 trying to be as positive as possible in regards to this matter and I hope that in the end that the truth brings that justice.鈥�
Wapemoose was grateful for the show of support, but her pain and anger is never far from the surface.
鈥淚 want to thank all the family and friends who have been here to support Dennis ever since he got hurt a year-and-a-half ago,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have helped us immensely. This is something very hard to deal with. Being the mother, I haven鈥檛 slept through the night since this happened to my son. I can鈥檛 sleep right and now I know tonight I won鈥檛 sleep because today was the first time I watched that video and to see my son tossed around like a rag doll, now I know why he鈥檚 in the nursing home the way he is and nobody should be allowed to do that to anybody.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 care if they hit you, I don鈥檛 care if they swore at you, you do not have the right to take somebody鈥檚 life away from them and that鈥檚 what [Madsen] did. My son lies in a hospital bed 22 hours a day. He can only be in his wheelchair two hours a day. He has to be turned every two hours around the clock. That鈥檚 no life for anybody and I wouldn鈥檛 wish that on anybody, so all I鈥檓 asking for is for justice to be served and for Kim to be held accountable for his actions. We all have to accept responsibility for whatever we do in life; everyone does.鈥�
Tamara has been traveling back and forth from North Vancouver for the trial. For her, it is not just pain and anger that keeps her up at night.
鈥淓ven before any of this happened, me and Dennis were very close,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was the one person I could always go and talk to; he was the one person anybody could always go and talk to. I haven鈥檛 watched the video, and just to think that somebody could do that, with just the bits and pieces I鈥檝e been hearing, is unimaginable, that somebody could bring themselves to do that to him. Being so far away, my boyfriend Chris helps me a lot and it鈥檚 really difficult. I have the same thing. I have sleepless nights and I have 鈥榳hat if.鈥� What if I was there? What if I hadn鈥檛 moved here? Maybe this wouldn鈥檛 have happened to him; he wouldn鈥檛 have gone out without me. There鈥檚 that guilt. There鈥檚 always those questions.鈥�
There鈥檚 also fear of the future, she explained.
鈥淚 think the worst part is, I鈥檝e flown down four times to go to the court proceedings, to be with Dennis in ICU, Wascana [Rehabilitation Centre in Regina,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been there every step of the way and to think that at the end of all of this, if it comes down in February and the verdict is not guilty, I鈥檓 not going to be able to fly down and be there to break the news to [Dennis]. It鈥檚 wondering why. It鈥檚 wondering how and when this is going to be over. Is it ever going to be over? Those are the questions that keep you up at night. You think it鈥檚 a dream. You think that this didn鈥檛 happen and there鈥檚 no way this could happen to my brother.鈥�
While hopeful, Wapemoose is also critical of a system she believes operates on a double standard.
鈥淚 have friends and I know of their friends and different people that have been through the court system and have gotten conditions, they break their conditions once and they鈥檙e sent to jail and this guy, he broke his conditions four times and he鈥檚 still free,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o me, there鈥檚 two different justice systems, there鈥檚 one for Caucasians and there鈥檚 one for Aboriginals, because in my eyes, if the tables were reversed in this case, my son would have been in jail right from the time this happened because he鈥檚 Indian, the trial would be done and he鈥檇 be serving his sentence right now.鈥�
But Wapemoose says she will not accept a verdict of not guilty or guilty of a lesser included offence, such as assault causing bodily harm or common assault.
鈥淚 would do everything in my power to overturn that,鈥� she asserted. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I would have to do, but I have friends in different places that could help me. I would get FSIN involved, I would get APTN involved, I would get the chiefs from the different areas involved and I would fight this and if I have to got to the Supreme Court to get this overturned I will do it. I will fight every step of the way until my son gets justice. I will do it to my last breath.鈥�
