'Suicide mission': Dad fears hunt for murder suspect son will end in tragedy
The father of one of the suspects in the murders of an Australian man and his American girlfriend said his son is on a “suicide mission” and predicts the nationwide hunt for him will end in his death.
The grim prediction came as Canadian police said they were setting up roadblocks around the remote Manitoba town of Gillam, where the two young suspects, 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, recently left a burnt-out vehicle they had been travelling in.
Schmegelsky's father, Alan Schmegelsky, said his son had a troubled upbringing and is in "very serious pain."
The RCMP announced on Wednesday they have charged McLeod and Schmegelsky with second-degree murder of Leonard Dyck after police identified him as the third victim killed in this months killings in British Columbia.
Mr Dyck, a Vancouver academic, was found dead on July 19. Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese were found shot dead by the Alaska Highway on July 15. No charges have yet been laid over their deaths.
Schmegelsky struggled through his parents' acrimonious split in 2005 and his main influences became video games and YouTube, his father said.
"A normal child doesn't travel across the country killing people. A child in some very serious pain does," Mr Schmegelsky told Canadian Press in an interview.
"He's on a suicide mission. He wants his pain to end," he said, breaking down into tears.
"Basically, he's going to be dead today or tomorrow. I know that. Rest in peace, Bryer. I love you. I'm so sorry all this had to happen."
Even if his son is caught, his life will be over, the father said.
"He wants his hurt to end. They're going to go out in a blaze of glory. Trust me on this."
A neighbour of Schmegelsky’s grandmother said her son played with the teen when he was younger but Schmegelsky lost friends as he made them uncomfortable.
“My son told me that he would mention things like ''what if this was real? Can you imagine if this was real?'' when playing video games. He'd get a little too excited about it,” Lisa Lucas told the Daily Mail.
A gaming friend of Schmegelsky told Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail that the teen owned a swastika armband that he would wear.
He said he stopped playing with him once he began to praise Hitler’s regime.
McLeod's father, Keith McLeod, released a statement talking up the compassionate nature of his son despite communities across Canada terrified of crossing paths with him.
"This is what I do know – Kam is a kind, considerate, caring young man," Mr McLeod wrote.
Manhunt continues as area on standby
The discoveries of three bodies, including Australian Lucas Fowler and his partner Chynna Deese, and a burning car with missing occupants has shaken rural northern British Columbia.
During the investigation of the first burnt-out car last Friday, police found the body of Mr Dyck roughly two kilometres from the car, and about 500km from where Mr Fowler and Ms Deese’s bodies were found.
"We are truly heartbroken by the sudden and tragic loss of Len," the Dyck family said in a statement.
Police had said on Tuesday that McLeod and Schmegelsky, who were intially indentified as missing before being named murder suspects, were traveling in northern Saskatchewan in a grey 2011 Toyota Rav 4 – the vehicle found in Gillam.
Authorities in the neighboring province of Ontario are now warning the public about the suspects.
Residents of Gillam are locking their doors and cars. Deputy Mayor John McDonald said if McLeod and Schmegelsky are wandering around in the bush, they couldn't have picked a worse time.
"The sandflies came out three days ago and they're just voracious," he said. "I'm quite sure they'll be more than happy to have someone find them."
Gillam, with a population of just 1265, is so isolated the mayor describes it as "the end of the road".
Gillam local Bill Beardy, who found the burning SUV on Monday night, said he initially thought it was a grassfire, discovered the burning car and two days later heard it belonged to the suspected killers.
"It made everyone on edge," he told CTV News.
The suspects are considered dangerous and police urged the public not to approach them and to call 911.
With AAP, AP
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