Gordon Hurley acquitted of the murder of Jarita Naistus

By Geoff Smith

paNOW Staff

The family of Jarita Naistus sobbed and filed out of a Battleford courtroom Tuesday morning after Gordon Hurley was acquitted of the murder of the Onion Lake woman.

Hurley said he feels sorry for the victim's family. He walked out of court a free man after the jury said he was not guilty of second degree murder in the 2005 death in Lloydminster.

“My nightmare has ended. I'm just glad I'm going home,” Hurley said.

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Ruth Checkosis, who is Naistus' aunt, said the verdict left her feeling numb and in disbelief.

“We don't know where to go from here. We just have to let Jarita  rest in piece and keep her in our hearts and our minds. The jury did their job,” she said outside court.

Checkosis said with the crime left unsolved, family members can only wonder what really happened ..

Hurley had spent the last five years in jail after being found guilty in the first trial.

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