**Warning: Some readers may find the contents of this article disturbing.**
It was an emotional day at the Edmonton courthouse Wednesday for the mother of St. Albert teen Broden Radomske.
A judge handed his killer Keith Landry a 14-year sentence, two years after the man stabbed the 15-year-old boy to death in front of his family while walking his dog on the north edge of Edmonton on May 21, 2024.
“The fact that it’s a manslaughter charge, and not showing intent, it’s bothersome, but like I said, there is no justice for the loss of a child,” said Broden’s mother Cherie Moran.
Moran wore her son’s hockey jersey to remember and honour him.
Landry pleaded guilty last week to the reduced charge of manslaughter, down from the initial charge of second-degree murder. It was part of a deal between prosecutors and the defence, and accepted by the Alberta judge.
Landry was a family friend, someone Moran trusted, until he killed her son for no apparent reason.
The family of a 15-year-old victim at the scene on May 22, 2024, where the boy was killed a day earlier. (Rod Maldaner, CityNews)
Moran says the killing destroyed her family. She says she no longer has custody of her other son, and the dog they were walking that day has now died.
“Every member of my family is not in my life anymore,” she said.
“What a part of my life he was, and the hole that’s left behind after he’s gone.”
Throughout the morning at the courthouse – days before what would have been Broden’s 17th birthday – 15 friends and family members read victim impact statements. They shared their love for the boy who loved hockey, basketball, scootering and playing video games with his friends.
Through tears, his loved ones shared how they remember him: the joy, laughter and life he brought.
Flowers at the scene in St. Albert where a 15-year-old was killed on May 21, 2024. (Laura Krause, CityNews)
One friend told Landry: “You broke me. You broke so many other people.”
“You singlehandedly ruined my life,” another said. “You killed my best friend, who was like a brother to me.”
Moran said those words from her son’s friends were “hard to hear but good to see as well.”
“My youngest hasn’t really cried much in all of this, but when his younger friend Noah went up, there was some tears shed there. It was hard for Blake to keep his composure,” she said.
With time already served, Landry will now serve a little over 11 years behind bars.
St. Albert teen Broden Radomske was 15 when he was killed during a dog walk with his family on May 21, 2024. (Submitted by Cherie Moran)