The mother of a murdered Aboriginal woman in Regina looked for answers as she looked into the face of the man accused of taking her daughter’s life last September.
Thirty-two-year-old Clayton Bo Eichler made a brief appearance in Regina Provincial Court this morning on a charge of second-degree murder.
It took three months before an arrest was made in the death of her 21-year-old daughter, Kelly Nicole Goforth. Her body was found in a back alley in the 1700 block of McAra street on September 25. It is an older neighbourhood in the east central part of the city.
Her mother, Maxine Goforth, says Kelly left home at about 11:00 that night to go to the store. Goforth does not know how her daughter died, or anything about the accused:
“I don’t know him at all. I don’t even know how my daughter came across him.”
Goforth says she plans to return to court to learn what happened and why:
“I am anxious to find out through the courts what happened, what transpired. The detectives are really good.”
Kelly Goforth leaves behind a one-year-old son. The boy’s father also recently passed away, but the baby is getting a lot of attention from the family and will be a constant reminder of his mother, whose life was cut short by a violent death:
“And every time I hug my grandson, I am angry because he doesn’t have a mommy no more. He took her away.”
Goforth was one of nine murder victims in Regina last year, four of whom were women.
There are also two woman who vanished in Regina last year. 27-year-old Kimberly Cruickshank was last seen on March 23, while 24-year-old Richelle Lee Bear was reported missing on August 24.