the families - alberta RCMP deaths › deadmonton 2005 › deadmonton › edmonton

As the first half of the news conference formally ended, reporters were updating their notes and cameramen were repositioning their tripods when an unexpected and highly emotional event took place.

Julia Schiemann, sister of slain officer Peter Schiemann, suddenly rushed through the media line and hugged Deputy Commissioner Sweeney.

Cameramen and reporters, caught off guard, scrambled to observe the moment.

The woman's actions symbolised the relief the arrests brought to those close to the 2005 tragedy.

Through tears, Julia Schiemann whispered "thank you very much" to the commissioner, her voice barely audible above the staccato of still cameras.

The two quickly left the atrium of "K" Division headquarters together through a secure door, sharing subsequent moments in private.

At the news conference, Doreen Jewell-Duffy, mother of officer Anthony Gordon, looked on.

Her face was a mix of grief and relief as she heard news of the charges brought against two men who may have been partly responsible for the death of her son.

The woman declined to speak to reporters.

In the hours after the announcement of the first arrests in the murder of the four Mounties, media contacted the other families, primarily by telephone.

Const. Brock Myrol's mother Colleen said she had always been confident police would uncover what happened at Roszko's farm at Rochefort Bridge.

"This just changes our whole world again," she said. "I knew from the beginning that the Mounties were going to succeed."

Grace Johnston, mother of deceased officer Leo Johnston, said after months of anguish she was heartened by the arrests.

"This is awesome that maybe now we will get some answers," she said, choking back tears.

"All along I felt, I believed, that someone had to have helped him. There are no words. In the pit of my stomach I always knew there had to be someone else."

"It's absolutely unbelievable news mostly because maybe we'll finally get some sense of what happened and how it happened."

Grace added Leo would be proud of his fellow officers. "I'm sure that he would just be saying, 'Awesome. I knew you guys would do it.' "

Rev. Don Schiemann, father of officer Peter Schiemann, was contacted at his home in Toronto.

"It is kind of sad that there were in fact two more people involved in that horric event."

"I'm glad that the RCMP was able to identify them and arrest them and charge them. Certainly the RCMP's just done an outstanding job."

While the families generally had praise for RCMP efforts, the parents of Const. Brock Myrol had sharp words for the recent appointment of William Elliott, a "career bureaucrat," to the post of commissioner of the force.

"As parents of a Mountie, we know Brock would be truly dismayed and shocked that it is OK to take a bullet for Canada and die for your country as a Mountie, but as a Mountie you're not good enough to be commissioner," said Colleen Myrol.

"Prime Minister Harper and [Public Safety Minister Stockwell] Day, the Myrols are calling on you to please rethink this tradition-breaking decision."

Elliott was appointed just days before the arrests of Hennessey and Cheeseman were announced.

"We need a commissioner from the force, not just for the force," Colleen demanded as she read a prepared statement to media at their Red Deer home.

Despite their criticism of the appointment, the Myrols spoke highly of the force.

"Since March 3, 2005, we have been asked if we think the RCMP have been dragging their feet on the investigation," they said. "Our answer has consistently been, No, they know what they are doing."

"If there was no reason to continue, they wouldn't. Here's the proof. The media were wrong, the RCMP were right. When media and politics stay out of their way, the RCMP get things done."

"We had faith in you all along and you proved worthy of our faith."

"We knew all along in our hearts there had to be more to the story," Colleen said.

Keith Myrol urged the courts to "please do what's right."

Colleen added it will be hard sitting through court proceedings against Cheeseman and Hennessey. Grace Johnston also said she hoped to attend.

The Edmonton Sun reported they spoke with the family of James Roszko. However, they declined to comment to the paper about the two arrests.

The Edmonton Journal had better luck with the gunman's family. One member, who did not want to be named, said they expected some sort of charges would have been laid eventually.

“It wasn't a total surprise. Hennessey was one of the people of interest for a while now,” the relative said.

“Someone was going to take the blame. James is gone and you can’t have four people murdered and no one to blame.”

An Edmonton Sun news poll asked readers "Do you think the arrests of two suspects in the 2005 slaying of four Mayerthorpe Mounties will bring justice for the families?"

33% responded YES while 67% felt the charges would not.

1077 voted on the one-day voluntary poll which allowed only one response per computer.

Return to main Alberta RCMP Deaths page.

deadmonton 2005 - alberta RCMP deaths - the families