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Cookman-Watts gets life sentence in Wendy Bird murder case
Standing outside the Court of King’s Bench in Battleford following the sentencing of Dustin Cookman-Watts for the murder of Wendy Bird two years ago, Brenda Freeman felt a sense of relief.
“I’m glad with the outcome, I think he got what we were expecting him to get,” said Bird’s mother.
“Just with my family being here, I think that really made a big impact.”
The courtroom had been a somber one. As the sentencing hearing was heard, families of both the accused and the victim sat side-by-side in the old courthouse’s wooden gallery. Though it was a quiet audience, sniffles and muffled sobs on both sides of those directly impacted by the case were heard as the details – under a publication ban – were laid out.