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CBC: Judge to decide fate of man accused in 1984 killing of Candace Derksen today

October 18, 2017 — 

As CBC reports: 

A Manitoba judge will deliver her decision in the retrial for Mark Grant, the man accused of second-degree murder in the 1984 death of Candace Derksen….

Frank Cormier, a criminologist at the University of Manitoba, says regardless of the outcome there will still be unanswered questions.

“A not-guilty verdict will really not bring any sort of closure, if I can use that term, and people will continue to wonder.” he said.

“A guilty verdict will leave far fewer questions unanswered…. With a guilty verdict, most people will interpret that as justice has been done.

Cormier said what anyone can take from this tragedy is the “positive legacy” Candace’s family has left in the community.

He pointed to “the words and behaviors of the Derksen family, her parents especially, that have really sort of inspired and assured Winnipegers and others that these kinds of things can be handled.

“They can be dealt with if one tries to adopt the proper attitude. There have also been changes to the way we deal with missing young people.”

 

[Update: Grant was found not guilty.]

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