Rhonda's Victim Impact Statement
In January 2008, Yvonne Johnson, one of Chuck's convicted murderers, was eligible for parole after serving 19 years of her life sentence. Our family was asked to present Victim Impact Statements, which we read to the parole board at her hearing.
In September 2005, Yvonne Johnson was first eligible for parole after serving 15 years of her life sentence. Our family was asked to present Victim Impact Statements, which we read to the parole board at her hearing. Ms. Johnson was granted a series of escorted visits. Click here to read Karen's statement from that hearing.
Victim Impact Statement - January 2008
Leonard Charles Skwarok, also known as Chuck is my only father figure, and a great man who will continue to be as long as I live. He's a part of my life today in many ways. I met him at the most crucial time of my childhood and that is during identity formation; adolescence. He is fun to be around because I can count on him for a laugh. He said to me on more than one occasion, "come on, you can do it; I know you can." His words of encouragement challenged me to conquer my fears and explore areas of my life that I felt paralyzed by. He shows me the value of family and importance of quality time. I wish deep down that I could speak in the present tense about him like I just did in the beginning of this statement, but I can't.
It will soon be nineteen years a very influential person in my life has been spoken about in the past tense. I know death is a natural part of life, but murder is not. Re-victimization occurs when a person is reminded of a traumatic event while emotionally charged….the loss of a loved one through conscious malicious reminders…for what? So that Rudy Wiebe can parade through his justification by using a poor native woman's story to save the Aboriginal community? How can he possibly know what's best for the Aboriginal Community? That's what he's highlighted in the media. A story of an abused, broken and damage native woman that has "healed" from her pain by profiting from other people's grief and loss. Yeah the Aboriginal Community really needs a story of half truths that continues to promote the division of mankind by labelling people as "white". Do you remember that part? "Large white man" …suggesting the epitome of enemy in the colonized native context. Justifiably and rationally explains the depth of hate. When is it going to stop?
I have been in intensive grief and trauma therapy for sometime at my own expense just so that I can talk about this without re-living the moment of when I first heard that Chuck had died. It's manageable now to talk about it without flooding with tears uncontrollably, without seeing the images as so clearly described in the book of the torture he endured. Through many counselling sessions I have been able to work through the trauma of hearing about his initial death and that has not been an easy process.
But now, these days I walk by bookshelves in the retail stores and see the cover of Stolen Life and my mind is flooded momentarily…I freeze in my steps as I try to remember what I learned in therapy to keep moving forward with this. But it continues to haunt me…..media influence glamorizing Yvonne for steadfastly continuing down that traditional journey. The movie…..oh my god….the movie. I feel like I don't know how to prepare for that one. Yet the first time she met us, Yvonne said there was nothing she could do about it. It's easy to take the victim role when you clearly want to avoid responsibility. "I'm sorry, I was raped….I was abused….on that night I was so drunk"…..just excuses.
Yvonne you have no idea what it is like to be re-victimized. You have no idea what it is like to educate yourself and work on a daily basis with people that are hurting as a result of their own grief and trauma and then use that hard earned money to pay for your own healing because of a person that has selfishly promoted herself as rehabilitated hero. You have no idea what it is like to attend a parole hearing with your loved ones and then be told that your own husband can't sit beside you for support while you struggle to read a victim impact statement. You have no idea what it is like to attend a culturally-based parole hearing that doesn't even allow you to bring your own eagle feather. I am glad that the Canadian justice system recognizes that there is a need for culturally based hearings such as these, but the rules and regulations take away the value of it being anything close to traditional or spiritual for the victim.
You know the ceremonies. You know the teachings. You know the legends. You know the indigenous philosophy and way of life. I am not sure if it is head knowledge to you or if it is genuinely thriving in your heart. What I do know by your actions is that you have no care and sense of remorse to the people that you re-victimize on a daily basis. You dismiss it by saying, "oh I didn't know…I'm sorry, it's out of my hands" and then continue by ignoring your responsibility.
I don't know how anyone can truly be inspired by your story when it's polluted with narcissism and pity. I don't see any strength, integrity, bravery, or humility in it. I see a presentation of a false hope that may only fulfill other momentarily. There is no sense of empowerment, building of self worth or rehabilitation. There is no understanding or consideration for myself or my family. You and the people that support you seem to only think about glamorizing your release from prison and how many more workshops you can repeat your sad story to. I know that there are some people that support you that have made this a person quest to come to your defence, but why? What's the motive? Even those people re-victimize my family and dishonour the memory of Chuck.
Justice is over rated. It doesn't happen in an institutional setting such as this. Justice can only happen when two spirits have connected and remorse is present. Remorse is not present when someone offers you a wolf statue and a necklace of beads with the comment….. "Hey I'm sorry for everything, here you go. Now can you help me get out of here?" Yvonne just finish the sentence that you were given, you only have 6 more years to go, that time is nothing. On the other hand, I'm the one serving life sentence here….life without my step dad.
Rhonda Modi
Step-Daughter of Leonard Charles Skwarok
Victim Impact Statement - September 2005
Leonard Charles Skwarok (known to me as Chuck) was the only father figure I knew. He was involved in my life at the age of eleven right until he was taken from my family. I knew that he wasn't my biological dad but never once did I feel like I was treated different from his own biological daughter. He meant a lot to me and my family. He was a provider, friend, mentor, and someone who was always making me laugh.
He taught me so much about repairing my own bike and fixing things around the house that were breaking. He taught me that things were worth keeping and that anything can be improved even if it looked like garbage. For example, when he found a lamp in the trash he would bring it home and repair the wiring so that it could work and then would ask me if I needed it for my bedroom. He encouraged me to try new foods and enter contests that I didn't have the confidence for. He believed in me.
Before he became involved in our family, quality time was so much different. My mom was involved with us at home but Chuck taught her how to take that involvement outdoors. I remember every weekend during the summer when we lived in Brandon, Manitoba we would go to Curran Park and would pack the car for the day with food, towels, swimsuits, and recreational toys. We would stay there for the whole day and then use the barbeque pits that were provided at the park and cook lunch and dinner there. In the heat of the day he would swim with my younger brother and me to the dock and would teach us how to dive. He was a strong swimmer. Even though I only interacted with Chuck for five years of my life, I feel that those are the most memorable days and a very important part of my childhood that I will never forget and cherish always for years to come.
To this day my family and I still talk about the silly things that Chuck did and contemplate the "what ifs." How different would our family be? How different would Amanda be? Would my mom and he be married? He would have seen our accomplishments in life. He would have been happy and very proud of what we have become. Now that I am older I could have given back to him because he always gave to me. Instead, he is gone; there is no answer to any of these questions. There is no response to our accomplishments. Instead I am left to defend his name and character because he is re - victimized.
I struggle to place any kind of closure on his death. Perhaps if he died of natural causes or tragically in an accident that was beyond anyone's control it would be so much easier to say good - bye. But instead his name has been slandered all over the world in a book called Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman written by Rudy Wiebe and co-authored by Yvonne Johnson. He is portrayed as a pedophile which conveniently justifies Yvonne's actions to wipe him off the face of this planet.
I think it's ridiculous how Yvonne gets so much publicity because she choked my step-dad with a phone cord while placing her foot on the back of his head until she crushed his voice box. At that moment, Yvonne, you may have thought that you silenced him forever but you are wrong. I am one of his loved ones that will be the voice to the legacy he left behind. You treated him like an object because you felt he represented every ounce of pain, abuse, and neglect that you experienced in life. You minimize his value when you call him a "large white man." Regardless of color, we are all made in the beauty of the Creator. I know that you say you walk the Native way, but if you did you would honor his name and respect him as a person. I am speaking in the present tense here because I feel that you still treat him as an object. I feel that you use him to gain attention and acknowledgement through the book, the movie and your many workshops you speak at. Have you ever told your audience that you killed a Métis man who had suffered abuse, neglect, and had alcoholic parents just like you and longed for that same kind of love and nurturing that you wanted in life? You continue to tell your story and seek sympathy because of your unfortunate life no matter the cost of those you hurt.
I remember back in March of 2004 when my family and I came to meet Yvonne through Safe Justice Encounters, the idea was to focus on sharing our loss and the result should have been Yvonne taking full responsibility for her actions. Instead, Yvonne shared her story of the murder on the first day and then on the second day made it all about her. I wish I would have known at that moment that she was manipulating my family and me who were brought again to the grieving process of my step-dad. At that time I felt so confused and couldn't think clearly as to what her motive was. Now I understand that she only wanted to seek our support in her parole. Yvonne I feel that you were the one who put yourself there so therefore you can get yourself out. Why in the world would I help you?
Yvonne you took so much away from our family. Chuck and my mother may have been separated when you murdered him but you took the only chance for our family to work on problems together. You stole our opportunity to heal as a family! Yvonne it seems that you enjoy telling your story so now I will ask you to sit back because I have a story to tell you. The unfortunate thing about this story is that it doesn't end. It continues everyday of my life. This is how it began:
When Chuck died in 1989 my family and I were notified by the RCMP. Then we were questioned on the character of Chuck. I didn't know why they were asking questions about what kind of person he was like and if he had ever hurt me. This was difficult to go through because he encapsulated laughter, joy, fun, creativity and most of all the father figure I never had.
I never knew the details surrounding his death. I never went to his funeral because I didn't know where it was. I didn't know there was a long court trial following his death. I did not go to this either. I am sure that had I been given the chance I would have gone there so that I could grieve and put closure on the whole thing. As the years went by I wondered how he died and questioned why anyone would feel that they had the right to take his life.
In 1998 I started to surf the Internet and made inquiries to newspapers in Alberta. Finally someone told me to check the Wetaskiwin library. I managed to get the email address of the librarian and asked her for any articles on the murder of Leonard Charles Skwarok. She wrote me back and said that there was a book that had been recently released that mentioned the name of a Leonard Charles Skwarok, it was titled "Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman." My family and I just happened to be traveling into Winnipeg that weekend and we purchased a copy because curiosity was flooding our minds. In this book I found out the details of how he died. After nine years of wondering I felt like he was ripped from our hearts again. I was angry at how this book spoke of Chuck. I hate how it mentions that "he hated children" because my life with him is a clear testimony of the truth that he cared for kids. He cared about me and my siblings. I feel that this book lies and lies about his character.
After this happened my family grieved again and hated the four people who murdered him. I remember thinking that one of them could have stopped it…just one and maybe Chuck would be here today. My mom pursued more answers and got in touch with newspapers who quickly sent her news articles that were published if his gruesome death. I was mortified when I read a particular news article that had a photo of his naked body faced down at a local landfill. Doesn't anyone value life that is living or passed on? I was angered that he was placed at this landfill that was a dumpsite for garbage because Chuck enjoyed going to the garbage dump when he was with us to look for things that could be restored. He always found value in things people threw away. Well I find incredible value in what you threw away Yvonne.
Six years after learning about the book a meeting was arranged to meet with Yvonne to share what we lost. At this time I was completing my second year of university. It was very, very difficult to focus on my studies while thinking about meeting with Yvonne because my loss was brought to the forefront and grief was overwhelming. I felt like I was learning about his death with each circumstance I face. During this time while I was preparing myself emotionally and mentally to meet with Yvonne, my family and I were hit with another bullet of pain when we learned that Stolen Life was being made into a movie. Now do I not only have to think about a book that slanders Chuck's character but I have to think about a movie? I am fearful of how Chuck will be depicted. It is one thing to read about what kind of person Chuck was in her book but now to see him portrayed on screen is another thing.
Now as I write this victim's impact statement I try to think about my pain and wrap it up in a few pages. I feel that doing this is next to impossible. How can any person truly express how they feel on paper when they have been living it for the past fifteen years? As I re-read this I feel that it only scratches the surface because my loss is beyond words. My loss is the absence of a man who gave balance to my family because my mom was a single parent. My loss was the second income that we had but instead we were forced to go to food banks that were tired of helping us; and that is by no means an exaggeration. My loss is fifteen years of emotional support and mental support. My loss is wishing my sister could interact with her dad rather than having to tell stories about him so she can learn what type of person he was. As it is I have to clarify to her these lies of his character that are so publicized. My loss is my only father figure who I knew would be proud of me but sadly is not here to say it.
I try to find closure and move forward with my life so that my memories of Chuck are in my heart but because of the book, the movie, and Yvonne's freedom to speak at workshops the reality of his gruesome murder stays alive and I have to continue to defend him.
I feel that Yvonne manipulated my family and me at the Safe Justice Encounter by asking us to help her with parole and appear at the hearing for her defense. I feel that she manipulates others like the Assembly of First Nations for example because she feels she had an unfair trial and prejudice was involved. I am an Ojibway woman and Chuck was a Métis man of Cree heritage, where is our justice? How can anyone claim an unfair trial when they clearly participated in a crime? When are things going to be fair for us?
I understand that Yvonne may not be behind bars forever, but I truly feel a full sentence would bring justice to me. She never gave Chuck the choice or the option to live. Yvonne you say in your book that he begged and cried for you to spare his life. You seem so aware of this and yet you made the decision to control his fate. You say that you are traditional in the sense of placing tobacco out for Chuck. Search your heart and think about when the last time was that you actually did that for him. I feel greatly offended that you do this and think it's a very disrespectful gesture because he was dear to my life; on the other hand you took his life.
Yvonne I don't understand how you can say that your life is "Stolen." You're still alive…you are not six feet under. How can your life be stolen? Are you saying that you are still a victim? When are you ever going to be a survivor? The only life that was stolen here was Chuck's.
What angers me most about the whole situation and causes me to believe that Yvonne is not ready for parole is her consistency in manipulating to get what she wants despite the cost of others. Yvonne we wrote each other for a few months and I felt that I was learning about you until the day you sent me the letter that made me see right through your motive in communicating with me. I shared with Yvonne minor details of my day to day life in hope of building a strong communication line with her. I had stopped writing for a few months because I was overwhelmed with school, work and the recent death of my grandmother. I had shared with Yvonne that I recently lost my grandmother and it was a difficult time for me to go through. Her response to my sad letter was a Newsletter format detailing her parole application along with a business card that promoted the Native Crafts she makes. I was totally floored when I read this. I was angered. I was hurt because she had no response to my pain. She didn't acknowledge what I was going through. She didn't care how I was feeling. I felt that she treated me as an object that was expected to support her parole. An object just as Chuck was an object.
This is what makes me believe that Yvonne is not ready for parole. She continues to present herself in a way that makes her look like she's changed. How can a person not respond to the grief of someone else? Even a stranger might say, "Sorry to hear about your loss." Yvonne said nothing!
I hope that my pool of emotions come across in this statement. Am I angry? - Of course I am! Am I hurt - definitely! But the difference between you and I Yvonne is that I know that no matter how tough life gets I have a choice on how to deal with my personal pain. No matter how I chose to deal with it, the responsibility of my actions will only be mine and mine alone. I will not look to others to pity me. I would not justify my poor choices with my history of pain. Instead, I chose to use my anger, my hurt, and my loss in a positive way and be a voice for Chuck. I want his legacy of his creativity, humor, and spirit to live on.
I hope that someday I can find peace in putting Chuck to rest. I can honestly say that this movie, book, and Yvonne's workshops make the pain re-surface even though I have been trying for years to find closure. It bothers me that her voice is more public than mine. It bothers me that she can publicly share her story while my family and I struggle to share our story with each other. Can Chuck ever be laid peacefully to rest? Being re-victimized is something that continually happens because Yvonne's story of her being a victim is told over and over. There is no healing when a person feels the need to constantly defend.
I pray that you the people involved in hearing this statement will consider this impact statement to have an IMPACT in this case.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Modi
(Chuck's step-daughter)
