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Earl Gambler, 19, was stabbed to death August 7th, 2005.

A 15-year-old young offender was charged with second-degree murder and a weapons offence.

The police gang unit was already involved with a group of teens -- later held responsible for Earl Gambler's murder, the twenty-third homicide of the year -- before his murder even took place.

A day prior to Gambler's stabbing death, a number of youth stabbed a man near the Coliseum station of Edmonton's Light Rail Transit system. The man survived his injuries.

The next evening, Earl Gambler and two young women [reported variously as sisters and/or cousins] were confronted by a group of teens outside a liquor store west of Rexall Place.

An argument broke out and a member of the group smashed a pipe over the head of one of the girls. The trio fled to a family apartment at 12025 82 Street.

Once inside the building they felt they were safe, but their attackers then ripped open the building's security door.

The group of four or five backed off, but when Gambler and the two women came out of the building some time later, the group's numbers had grown to a dozen.

Gambler was swarmed and suffered a stab wound to his stomach. He crawled up the stairs of the building and pounded on doors for help.

An apartment manager called 911 and held the bleeding teen in her arms. He died after being transported to Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The manager vowed to improve the building's locks. She figured the assailants got into the building because of a faulty lock on the security door.

Gambler had just moved to Edmonton from Calling Lake, 186 kilometres north of the city, a month prior to his death with visions of going to school and landing a job.

Just over a month later, Gambler's cousin, 33-year-old Adrian Vern Jacobs, died of multiple stab wounds near 115 Avenue and 85 Street, eight blocks south of the Gambler family apartment.

On August 11th, police charged a 15-year-old with second-degree murder and a weapons offence. He could be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

On February 8th, 2006 Crown prosecutor Allison Downey announced that charges against the 15-year-old would be stayed.

"The reason is there is not a reasonable likelihood of conviction," Downey said.

If more evidence comes to light within the next year the charges against the youth could be reactivated.

On August 6th, 2006 the Edmonton Sun featured a story marking the first anniversary of Gambler's murder.

Sandra Cardinal, Gambler's mother, made a pilgrimage to Calling Lake, 186 kilometres north of Edmonton. She reflected on the murder of her son.

"I'm feeling anxious for them to catch whoever did this. My son was a person too. It shouldn't be pushed aside and forgotten about," said Cardinal, 43.

Cardinal said the absence of a conviction in the case made Earl's passing even more difficult to bear.

"I need something done about those boys. I know it has to be one of them. They can't all be innocent."

On February 11th, 2007 the Edmonton Sun reported that Earl Gambler's mother had new information that could bring his killers to justice.

The announcement came just days after the one-year time limit expired for the Crown to provide new evidence against a 15-year-old young offender who was charged with second-degree murder and a weapons offence.

Gambler's mother, Sandra Cardinal, said she would meet with police hoping to boost their investigation.

“I did hear a few things about who did it,” she told the Sun without elaborating.

“There are guys who are bragging on the streets.”

The victim's father, Earl Gambler Sr., told the paper he knows in his heart that justice will prevail but was frustrated that it hadn’t happened yet.

“I know someone knows something,” he said.

“Police have to be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together somehow, all the evidence was there. How can we let another Canadian citizen die and someone else get away with it?”

deadmonton 2005 - earl gambler