Guilty plea in connection with Kelowna teen’s death - BERITAJA

A achy time successful tribunal for the family and friends of  Tristan Seeger, a Kelowna teen who was fatally tally down by a conveyance 3 years ago.

They packed a Kelowna courtroom Tuesday arsenic the man responsible for the 15-year-old’s death, Brandon Kazakoff, pleaded blameworthy to dangerous driving causing death and assault.

The blameworthy pleas stem from an incident connected Oct. 21, 2023.

“I’m gladsome he admitted what he did to my son, whether aliases not it’s remorseful aliases not, only he knows,” Tristan’s father, Jason Seeger, said.

Tristan’s mother, Paule Moore, said she wanted Kazakoff to look the family.

“He killed my boy pinch a car. He didn’t moreover person the courage to look him successful the eye, and he needed to look america successful the eye,” she said.

Court heard that soon earlier the fatal collision, Tristan was portion of a group of teenagers progressive successful an incident successful which Kazakoff’s begetter was bear-sprayed.

After learning about the incident, Kazakoff went looking for the group.

He yet recovered the teenagers and assaulted 1 of them, according to the tribunal proceedings.

Kazakoff past sewage backmost into his vehicle. While stopped astatine an intersection, Tristan deployed carnivore spray toward the rider broadside of the car. Kazakoff turned the conveyance about and drove into the teenager.

He fled the scene. In the days that followed, Kazakoff changed his licence plates and group his conveyance connected occurrence on a wood work road.

Kazakoff’s defence lawyer, Glenn Verdurmen, described the incident arsenic “one horrendous, horrible mistake.”

Verdurmen said his customer feels remorse for his actions and understands the effect the lawsuit has had connected the community.

“It’s ripped up a batch of group successful the Rutland and Kelowna area, and the wounded has gone deep, and that’s not mislaid connected my client,” Verdurmen said. “He tells maine that this is what he thinks about each day.”

For Tristan’s family, the blameworthy plea intends they will not person to relive the achy specifications of the lawsuit done a trial. But they opportunity nary result successful tribunal could undo their loss.

Asked what justness would look like, Jason Seeger said for him, location isn’t any.

“Bring my boy back, but we cognize that’s not going to happen,” he said, choking backmost tears.

Instead, the family is near holding connected to memories of a teen they retrieve for his laughter, charisma and adventurous spirit.

“His cheeky grin and his devil-may-care cognition and his willingness to conscionable do anything,” Moore said. “I miss that worldly about him. You know, we miss him each day.”

Kazakoff is expected to beryllium sentenced astatine a later date, apt successful early 2027.