Karina Wolfe death: Saskatoon police release name of accused, Jerry Constant
Saskatoon police have released the name of the man accused of killing Karina Wolfe, the 20-year-old whose remains were found five years after she became one of Canada's missing indigenous women.
Police released information about Jerry Constant, 33, at a news conference Monday before his appearance in provincial court via video link later in the morning.
Constant voluntarily turned himself in to police on Nov. 10. Wolfe's remains were found Nov. 14, in a marshy area northwest of Saskatoon.
Police don't believe there was a relationship between Wolfe and the accused.
Constant is a registered sex offender with previous convictions for assault and sexual assault.
The Crown prosecutor told court he wants a mental-health assessment on Constant. The lawyer said Constant was distraught and was hearing voices when he turned himself in to police.
Terrible loss
Wolfe's mother, Carol Wolfe, said the loss has been devastating for the family.
"Karina was stolen from our family, but she was also denied the opportunity to achieve her goals and dreams," said Wolfe. "Our family is suffering with a heavy heart. We will never get to see her again."
Wolfe said the family has received a certain amount of solace after her daughter's remains were found.
"This is something that should never have happened," she said. "I am grateful that she was returned home so family can lay her to rest."
Wolfe had just moved back home with her family when she went missing in July 2010. Police were immediately concerned because of her high-risk lifestyle. She was last seen on the city's west side.
On Saturday in Saskatoon, an emotional day of remembrance was held by Women Walking Together, in an effort to keep the focus on the many missing and murdered indigenous women from the community.
"It's not the way we want these cases to end," Myrna LaPlante, co-chair of the group, said of the recent developments in the Wolfe case. "We hold out hope, of course, until, well, we hear some news. Whether the person is brought home or they're located."
Gwenda Yuzicappi knows what the Wolfe family is going through. Yuzicappi's daughter, Amber Redman, went missing in 2005 and her remains were located almost three years later.
"You're grasping at reality that your daughter is located," Yuzicappi said. "You will not be able to have that talk, or see that smile or have that hug. You know, those are lost."
Shortly after Redman's remains were found, a man was charged and ultimately convicted of second-degree murder. In 2009, Albert Patrick Bellegarde, who was 29 when he was arrested, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.
