‘You made us bury our brother’: sentence hearing for man accused in hunting death

A Melfort Provincial Court was filled to capacity Monday for the sentence hearing of the man who shot and killed a Prince Albert hunter.

The statement of facts presented in court said Jordan Darchuk,23, was finishing up hunting south of Weirdale on the night of the incident in September 2017. Austyn Adamko,23, was also hunting with a friend in the area where he mistook Darchuk for a bull elk from afar. As the final minutes of the hunting day came to a close, Adamko shot Darchuk in the chest and he died at the scene.

Adamko handed in his rifle to police when they arrived. He didn’t have a firearms license.

Adamko pleaded guilty last month to charges of careless use and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

In Melfort, victim impact statements began with Leanne Darchuk, Jordan’s mother. Leanne revealed the Darchuks were beginning to recover from the loss of her husband Ben, who passed away five years earlier after being struck by a drunk driver.

Leanne said Jordan loved the outdoors, although now he’s buried there. She concluded her statement telling Adamko “maybe when you have a child, you’ll know what you stole from me.”

Jordan’s sister Whitney was next. When she found her younger brother had died, she asked herself “did someone actually kill my brother in such a preventable act?”

Whitney said the Darchuk’s family of five had dwindled down to three because of people like Adamko who don’t abide by the laws.

When she got a call from Mobile Crisis Services, Whitney said all of the feelings from when she lost her father came back; it was one of the worst days of her life. She told Judge Lloyd Stang she hoped this sentence is dealt with seriously.

Jordan’s sister Julie said she will mourn the loss of her brother for the rest of her life and said she is no longer the same.

“You made us bury our brother,” Julie said to Adamko. “I hate you and you destroyed my family.”

Julie said things her family used to do such as waking up on Christmas morning, hanging around the family home, and hunting no longer brought them joy. She said she won’t be able to celebrate her wedding as her children will grow up without an uncle or a grandpa.

Jordan’s girlfriend Jerrica said they were close to the life they had dreamed. After years of making long distance work, she was in her last semester of nursing school in Alberta and about to accept a job in Prince Albert. They had saved money for a down payment, wanted three kids and a hunting dog on an acreage, and Adamko took it all away.

“I lost my soulmate and a part of me died with him,” she told the court.

Multiple other family members and friends affected by Jordan’s death also gave victim impact statements.

Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk, submitted for 12 to 18 months of jail time plus two year’s probation, and a 10-year firearm prohibition. Olenchuk called hunting a privilege and labelled the incident a great offence.

Mark Brayford, defence co-council, stated a negligence based offence is the least serious in the criminal code. However, Judge Stang there was a difference between being careless with a motor vehicle and firearms, based on the different purposes between the items.

The defence is asking for a sentence of nine intermittent months so Adamko can stay employed.

Brayford noted Adamko’s father originally intended to hunt with him that night, however he decided to stay behind and Adamko didn’t know he needed to sign up for a license as he had borrowed his father’s rifle.

Adamko also had an opportunity to say some words before his sentencing.

“There are no right words,” he said. “My year now begins on Sept. 17; there are no words, no apologies that can ever make this right.”

Adamko said the only thing that could potentially compare to how the Darchuks felt about Jordan’s death, is when his cousin died after being struck by a car. He mentioned he’s now that person to the Darchuks.

“Every day I’m reminded of my mistake,” he said. “This all fails in comparison to what you have to deal with. It’s my fault and no one else’s… I am truly sorry.”

Adamko will appear in Melfort Provincial Court on Monday, April 29 at 9:30 a.m. for his sentence.

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow