Sheena Cuthill, 30, Timothy Rempel, 30, and Wilhelm Rempel have all been found guilty of first-degree murder of Ryan Lane.
Timothy and Wilhlem were both also found guilty of kidnapping in the connection with former Cochranite death .
After a six-week trial the three co-accused were straight-faced as their verdicts were read out on Wednesday. As each verdict was read aloud there were loud sobs in the courtroom from both the victim’s family and the co-accused families.
Cuthill mouthed “I love you” to her mother as she was escorted from the courtroom.
The verdict was read after one day of deliberations by the jury after four weeks of evidence from the Crown, which included text messages, taped phone calls, Lane’s DNA found in the Rempel brothers’ vehicles, and the burnt human remains from a burn barrel that also included Lane’s class ring and pieces of a cell phone. Thee defence also called Cuthill and Timothy to testify in their own defence.
“This verdict represents closure for the accused, probably not in a way that they hoped, but for the family of the victim Ryan Lane and for the justice system,” said Crown prosecutor Tom Buglas on Wednesday.
Buglas said it was one of the most significant Calgary Police Service (CPS) investigations that he was aware of due to man hours put in for the search for Lane’s remains and the number of investigations techniques used.
Cuthill and the Rempel brothers were arrested and charged in November 2012, nine months after Lane went missing and five months after the RCMP’s discovery of burned human remains in a burn barrel in a rural area outside of Beiseker.
“I can tell you this was a long and hard emotional trial for the family. The system takes time to get to trial so the wait itself was difficult on them and of course the length of the trial was difficult on them,” Buglas said.
Cuthill and Lane had shared a daughter and were in a custody battle when Lane went missing on Feb. 6, 2012. The custody battle started in October 2011 after Cuthill had filed the papers to get full custody of their daughter. Lane had not seen the girl since she was one year old and Cuthill’s new husband, Timothy, had wanted to adopt the girl and have her take his last name, Cuthill had testified on the stand.
Lane had meet with the Rempel brothers, according to Timothy’s testimony. Timothy said he called Lane with the promise of showing Lane pictures of his daughter and Cuthill. The plan was for Wilhelm to pick up Lane at a gas station in northwest Calgary and drive to meet Timothy in a rural area outside of the city. Lane was never seen again after the meeting.
“I’m disappointed. It is always disappointing when a client is found guilty of a crime of this magnitude,” said Allan Fay, Timothy Rempel’s defence lawyer.
“I can only assume as he faces a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years that he is pretty distraught.”
When asked if Timothy would consider an appeal, Fay said appeals are always considered.
Victim impact statements will be read on Friday.
