The families of two murdered women stand outside Regina court. Photo by Manfred Joehnck.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains graphic details and some profanity.
Choking back tears, the man who admitted strangling two aboriginal women to death offered his apology to his victims’ families during his sentencing in a Regina courtroom Tuesday morning.
Clayton Eichler, 35, was given a life term with no chance of parole for at least 20 years, but there are still many questions that remain for the families of 21-year-old Kelly Goforth and 23-year-old Richele Bear.
The two women were strangled to death in separate incidents in 2013. Goforth’s body was found in a dumpster, while Bear’s body has never been located.
For the first time, family members looked Eichler in the eye and told him how much he took from them and how their lives will never be the same.
They demanded answers and accountability, but they got neither.
Richele Bear’s mother Michelle said Eichler’s apology meant nothing to her.
“I didn’t believe him,” she said. “If he really was sorry and he was really sympathetic toward me he would tell me where my daughter is and he would let my family bring her home.”
The aunt of Richele, Angela Gray, said she believes the apology was for the benefit of the judge and not the families.
“He is a sick, sick man,” she said. “As if he doesn’t know where her body is, he won’t even give us some sort of closure. That is so unfair.”
Maxine Goforth, the mother of Kelly Goforth, is raising her murdered daughter’s son, who is now four. She said the apology was unexpected, and it will help her family heal.
“I know there was divine intervention involved there because he apologized to me and at least I’ll be able to tell my baby, my grandson, that this man is sorry,” she said.
Eichler’s lawyer told the court Eichler worked construction and oil rigs where he worked hard, partied hard and got heavily involved in using drugs like crystal meth.
In his apology to the families, Eichler himself could offer no explanation as to why he strangled the two women to death.
He struggled for words and cried as he apologized for the pain he has caused the families. As he was being led out of the courtroom, Richele Bear’s mother yelled “please tell me where my daughter is!”
He replied, “I don’t have that answer.”
Another family member of one of the victims yelled “burn in hell you bastard!”
Eichler is still facing other charges. He will be back in court later this fall to face a charge of aggravated assault. In that case, an Aboriginal woman was strangled into unconsciousness, but she recovered.
Eichler has been in custody since he was arrested on Dec. 31, 2013. He will now be transferred to a federal penitentiary where he will begin serving his life sentence.