TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2011
‘I’D LIKE TO RIP HIS HEAD OFF’
THE SUSPECT: Delta teen charged with first-degree murder in 2010 slaying, 3
THE REACTION: Murder victim Laura Szendrei’s father erupts outside of court in Surrey, 3
THE HISTORY: For full and detailed background, thenownewspaper.com
Mike and Rachael Szendrei are overcome with emotion Monday morning as Delta police announce that they arrested an 18-year-old ❚PHOTO/Ted Colley North Delta man for the murder of their 15-year-old daughter, Laura. For more photos, see thenownewspaper.com
Tom ZYTARUK Staff Reporter
T
hey were expecting to see a scary monster, a big bogeyman. But the image Rachael and Mike Szendrei had conjured up was a far cry from the skinny kid who appeared in Surrey provincial court Monday, charged with first-degree murder in the beating death of their 15-yearold daughter, Laura, in North Delta’s Mackie Park last September. “I’d like to rip his head off,” the burly – and
clearly enraged – dad told reporters outside the courthouse. The accused, he remarked, is “a little chicken head. It’s lucky it wasn’t me he ran into.” “I hope his family feels like I feel inside.” Laura’s mother was surprised when she laid eyes on the teen, saying she’d expected a “big bogeyman, a scary monster.” Prosecutor Wendy Stephen said the Crown will seek an adult sentence for the 18-year-old North Deltan, if he’s found guilty. That would work out to life without eligibility to apply for parole until 25 years are served.
The accused was 17 when Laura was killed, so it is illegal to publish his name as the Youth Criminal Justice Act shields his identity. Under the YCJA, a first-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of 10 years, with six in custody. The accused remains in custody and his next court appearance is scheduled for March 7. Meantime, Rachael Szendrei let out a big “Whoo!” when police revealed Monday they’d laid a charge in Laura’s savage death. She said the family had unveiled the girl’s gravestone on Sunday.
see TEEN CHARGED page 3