The following statement was issued by Lindsay Hill, partner to Jonathan Styres and mother to their two children. It is published here in it’s entirety.
“The “not guilty” verdict for the man who shot twice and killed Jon is excruciatingly heartbreaking. There is a hole in my heart that will always be there. There has not been a day that I have not missed Jon since his life was unnecessarily taken.
My heart breaks every time my daughters hit a new milestone. I have had to watch my daughter Sophia when she was two years old look out the window and cry saying “daddy where are you!” My daughters will not get to grow up with their father. The man who killed Jon took that away from Sophia and Zoey.
The trial was very gruelling, exhausting and has been an experience that has reaffirmed my belief that the justice system in Canada is not just and is merely a “system” that indigenous people can not trust. It continues to oppress our people and fails to provide justice for those of us who are victims of violent crimes.
The two not guilty verdicts have given a representation of a lack of the valuations of life within Canadian society. Citizens of Canada see property as a viable reason for a person to take another life. Two Canadian men made a choice to put themselves in a situation where they DIDN’T need to be all because there was a chance that their property would be taken.
The acquittal of these men has magnified the treatment and the injustice indigenous people endure at the hands of the “Canadian Justice System”.
Seeing how the process of trial operates from start to finish has opened my eyes. It is clear that the “system” has many flaws and that there needs to be change for indigneous people to get the justice they so rightfully deserve.
I am also calling the media to seek comment from the Canadian Military. To my knowledge there has been no comment from anyone within the Canadian Military and there needs to be. Is this what the Canadian Military teaches? For a person who was trained for 3 months that is currently in civilian life to leave a civilian (Jon’s Killers wife) and approach an unknown situation armed with a gun and shoot and kill someone when Jon’s killer claimed he didn’t know how many people were there.
JONATHAN STYRES, COLTEN BOUSHIE, TINA FONTAINE, AND CINDY GLADUE ARE PEOPLE – FATHERS, SONS, DAUGHTERS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, AUNTS, UNCLES! THEY ARE NOT JUST NAMES IN A HEADLINE OR THE VICTIM IN A CRIMINAL CASE! THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE LOVED AND ARE NOW GREATLY MISSED! THEIR LIVES MATTERED! THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO DESERVE JUSTICE!
The Attorney General and the Canadian Governembet needs to remedy this gross injustice! Don’t let the lives be lost in vain! Now is the time for change! Before another life is unnecessarily taken! Our people have suffered long enough!”
Lindsay Hill
Mohawk, Bear.
Last ditch law to protect property and not life. Bring all admissible facts that wouldn’t be allowed in trial. Increase lawsuit funds to 1 billion. Include all First Nations. Let’s teach Canada a history lesson today.