'He wanted to make it in life:' Mom speaks out at court appearance for man accused of killing son

The mother of a Saskatoon man killed in broad daylight this summer says she still can’t understand why her son was targeted.
 
Wilma Merasty said her son, David, was a hardworking man who wasn’t the sort to start trouble with anyone.
 
She said he was on his way to start a new job on June 18, but he never made it to work. He was found wounded shortly after 1 p.m. that day in an alley on Avenue E South, just off 20th Street West.
 
“He wanted to make it in life. He wanted to take care of me. He said: ‘when you get old, I want to take care of you Mom,'” she said.
 
David died in hospital of his injuries.
 
“He got hit over the head with a machete.

He had stitches on his head, about eight inches long on the side of his head. That’s where he got hit.

Seeing those stitches on the side of his head, it was horrible,” Merasty said.
 
28-year-old Lajray Gordon was charged Oct. 5 with second-degree murder in David’s death.

He made a brief appearance by video link in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Friday.
 
Merasty said having a suspect in her son’s death is a relief after months of being left to wonder.
 
 “Now that they found him I can really let it out, let out the sorrow. I’ve been holding it in. It’s really hard and very stressful on our family,” she said.
 
Legal Aid is still working to secure a lawyer for Gordon.
 
He is set to appear again in court on Oct. 14.