Liam Casey, Canadian Press Published Saturday, April 23, 2022, 9:09 AM EDT Last Updated, Saturday, April 23, 2022, 9:09 AM EDT
Cathy Riedel wants to move on, but the judiciary is holding her back.
She hopes other victims of the crime will not have to endure what she and more than a dozen other survivors – and many grieving relatives – have endured from the worst attack in Toronto’s history.
It has been four years since Riddle was attacked by a man who, angry with women who do not sleep with him and radicalized in the bowels of the Internet, deliberately drives a rented van on a busy sidewalk in Toronto.
Still, the criminal case continues.
“Nowhere on the line is there a real examination of the victims,” Riedel said in a recent interview. “We just don’t care.”
The 71-year-old man was one of 26 victims of the Yonge Street tragedy on April 23, 2018. Ten people – eight women and two men – died that day. Two other women who were hit by the man, whom the victims refuse to name, died a few years later. Many others were catastrophically injured.
In March 2021, a judge found Alek Minasyan guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
Last year, Judge Anne Moloy decided to postpone the sentence until the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on a 2011 law that gives judges discretion to arrange parole periods for many murderers.
The Supreme Court of Canada heard the case last month, but there is no deadline for a decision.
“It’s really enough for me, I’ve carried the weight long enough,” Riedel said. “I want to continue in some way. I want to get my life back on track, and if the court won’t help me do it, then I’ll do it myself.”
She believes the court should have continued with the verdict last year, not waited.
“If the Supreme Court says we can’t do it, then you know what, change it later, but don’t make us wait,” Riedel said. “Please just let us finish this.”
Minasian’s last two appearances in court were held behind closed doors, closed to the public, the media and victims.
But Riddle said the crown prosecutor had called the victims on April 4 to tell them that Minasian would be convicted on a first-degree murder charge on June 13. This carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
He will then be sent to federal prison, and other charges will be heard at a later date, she said.
The court and the prosecutor’s office said the sentence was scheduled for that day in mid-June, but did not provide details of the plan.
The verdict will be handed down in person and victims will have the opportunity to make statements in court about how the attack affected them, Riddle said.
“One of my motives for recovering was to be able to look him in the eye and understand him better,” Riedel said. “If that changes, I’ll just be absolutely furious.”
The court will then wait for the decision of the Supreme Court, which means that the case may take months or more to complete.
“I think it’s time for this country at all levels and the judiciary to take victims’ rights seriously, because that’s basically the last consideration,” she said.
Riddle wanted the process to take place in person, but it was conducted through Zoom in late 2020 due to the pandemic.
“We’re like the extras in a play or something, only this time we weren’t even in a play, we were in a separate room watching a video,” she said.
Riddle said he forgave the court for the decision, but still went down to the physical courtroom every day to watch the hearing on screen in a room set aside for victims.
She also wants the court to better prepare her for what lies ahead – or to help her find a better way to deal with the facts of the case, which both sides agree on.
Riddle doesn’t remember being hit by the 25-year-old’s van that day.
“It’s a blessing, it’s true, but how I found out about what happened to me is also a curse,” she said. “There was no preparation for the victims of the trial.
On the first day of the trial, the Crown made a long presentation detailing how each person was hit by the van and, if he died, a photo of the resting places. Some of the images show the bodies of the victims covered with orange tarpaulins.
“It was traumatic for me, imagine what it would be like for a family to have lost someone,” she said.
“There was no communication, we had no information, we had no idea what to expect, and that needs to change.”
She realized she was blinded from behind and threw herself into a bus shelter.
The blow broke her spine and broke her ribs, shoulder blade and pelvis. She suffered minor brain trauma, massive bruising and internal injuries. She experienced a severe bout of depression and guilt for the survivors.
Now she uses a walker to move.
“Besides, I’m fine!” she said with a smile. “If I hadn’t laughed, I would have only been angry.”
The online vigil was scheduled for Saturday afternoon to mark the fourth anniversary of the attack, but Riddle had no idea until the Canadian Press told her.
“Again, some kind of communication or any kind of communication would be good,” she said.
Nevertheless, she will not watch.
“The memory, I’m done with it, especially when it’s virtual,” she said. “There’s no feeling. Still, it would be nice to know about the permanent memorial.”
She said that a few years ago there was a lot of noise about the construction of something in Mel Lastman Square, the place where several people died that day. But other than visiting a city official, Riddle said she hadn’t heard anything.
“I’d like to see him before I die,” Riedel said.
A city spokesman said consultations with survivors, families and the community were under way.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 23, 2022.
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