A Calgary judge sentenced a young man who shot and killed another man to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.
In February, Hunter Van Makelberg was convicted of second-degree murder for the murder of Calix Langenau when both men were just 19 years old.
The court heard that Van McElberg fired a rifle into the back of the victim’s head at close range in the early morning hours of February 15, 2020, on a rural property near Balzac.
Judge Glen Poelman told the court that “this is an execution-style murder” and that Van McElberg was “showing a sense of disregard” for Langenhau.
He and Langenau had disagreements about the girls they were in a relationship with, the court heard, and the murder was the result of years of tension between the two men.
Van McElberg, now 21, did not speak during the sentencing hearing.
WE LOVE A HOCKEY COACH
Several family members and friends read the victim’s tearful statements during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.
His mother, Tracy Henderson, said her first child was the family rock, and now one piece is missing.
“He was such a great child, such a great brother, such a great son,” she told reporters outside downtown Calgary.
She then added: “12 years is definitely not enough in my opinion for the young life that was taken and the lives that have been destroyed since then.”
His father, John Langenau, told the court he was in agony, as if pieces of his heart and soul had been torn out.
“There is no such thing as justice when someone is cut off from your life, especially someone as charismatic, inspiring, funny, kind, patient and as alive as Calix,” Langenhau said.
Langenau is remembered as a children’s hockey coach at Explosive Edge in Airdrie with a career in sports and has applied to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology to broadcast a program.
Many family members say they grieve for missed future stages, holidays and celebrations that will never be shared.
The surviving family members set up the Coach Kalix Foundation to provide sports equipment to the children.
THE FACTS OF THE CASE
Friends said Langenau lives in Vancouver and is visiting Calgary for the long Family Day weekend.
Langenau had a previous relationship with Madeleine Cote, Van McElberg’s girlfriend at the time of the crime.
Hours after numerous text messages were exchanged between the victim and Kot, the murder took place in a field that Van Mackelberg and friends were aware of.
The killer called his father to ask what to do with the body after the murder.
Defense attorneys say the reports shared between the victim and the killer’s girlfriend were a provocation and a mitigating factor, but the judge rejected that, saying it was not a crime of passion.
Crown prosecutors say Van McElberg had a history of disorderly conduct and disregard for the law, and demanded the right to parole after 18 years.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, prosecutor Ron Simenik said the judge had given good reasons for the sentence.
“The fact that these were young men is worrying to say the least,” said prosecutor James Sava.
“Justice had to balance the apparently disgusting nature of the crime with the fact that there is some prospect of Mr Van Makelberg being rehabilitated, and that is a difficult decision he had to make.”
Then Sava added, “It’s still a life sentence.”
Add Comment