Sudbury couple says no aid for trial after son murdered in Regina

Grieving parents from Sudbury, Ont., say they are unable to receive the support they need to attend the trial of the man accused of murdering their son in Regina, Sask., in 2021.

Jeffrey Lehto moved from Sudbury to Regina to have a better life, but it was not to be, his parents John and Janet Alderson told CTV News in an interview on Wednesday.

Jeffrey Lehto moved from Sudbury to Regina to have a better life, but it was not to be, his parents John and Janet Alderson told CTV News in an interview on Wednesday. (Chelsea Papineau/CTV news)

Now, his parents say they don’t have the means to attend the murder trial and can’t get support from the government.

"Everywhere we turn, we've been told that the government has no funds for this … And I know that there's other agencies out there that will help, but they won't help us because the province difference," John said.

"If the crime happened in Ontario or vice versa, then yeah, they would help us. But, because we're from a different province, nobody seems to want to help us."

THE MURDER

Lehto, 30, was the victim of a serious assault in a residential neighbourhood on Quebec Street the evening of Jan. 19, 2021.

He died of his injuries in hospital the next morning just minutes after doctors contacted his mother.

"The doctor said 'What can I do for you?' I said "Tell Jeffrey mommy knows and he's coming home.' The doctor went to Jeff and whispered in his ear in a mommy voice she said and within minutes he passed," Janet said.

"He shouldn't have held on for those 12 hours it took to find us, but he did. So, he needs us to be there (at the trial). We need to be there."

Jeffrey Lehto moved from Sudbury to Regina to have a better life, but it was not to be, his parents John and Janet Alderson told CTV News in an interview on Wednesday. (Supplied)

Two men -- Adam R. Hook, 39, and Harvey Vince Huntinghawk, 47 – were charged with second-degree murder in Lehto's death.

The charge against Huntinghawk was stayed when he died in December 2021, a Sask. justice services spokesperson, Arian Whiting, told CTV News in an email.

Hook, who has been in jail since his arrest, is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 6. It is a non-jury trial that is scheduled to take three weeks.

'I NEED TO BE THERE'

Life hasn’t been easy since their son's murder. John said he has been unable to work.

“I think of my son constantly," he said.

"And he's on my mind 24/7 because I just wish I was able to do more for him than what I was able to do. I just couldn't be there for him because he was just so far away. Um, yeah. I miss him."

The Aldersons are struggling to put together the funds to make the more than 2,100-kilometre journey to hear the details of what happened to their son. The have set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising enough money.

"We are at the point where we will be there one way or the other,” John said.

“Whether we have to sell all our belongings and just get there and, you know, if we have to become homeless, we will do that. We're willing to do whatever it takes to get there ... I need to be there. I need to look this man in the face and I need to understand why he did what he did to my son."

Janet said she wants people to know "that he wasn't a nobody with a problem that got killed. He was a son, he was a brother, he was a dad."

Whiting of the Sask. justice services department said her province's victims services branch has a range of programs and services to assist victims of crime after they have been victimized and throughout the criminal justice process.

The Aldersons said they were told previously by Sask. victim's services it couldn't offer help because they are in Ontario. CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca has asked Whiting for clarification and is awaiting a response.

The Ontario justice ministry and the Sudbury MPP and MP have been contacted for comment as well and have not yet responded.

FAMILIAR STORY OF ADDICTION

Lehto's mom said he was injured while working in the oilfields and was given a prescription for painkillers.

"Then I know they cut him off, because the government said 'No, you can't be doing this,'” Janet said.

“So instead of weaning them, they just stopped the prescription. So, I believe at that time, it just progressed.”

He left Sudbury "because he was getting involved in some stuff that he shouldn't have and when he went up there, unfortunately, he came upon another crowd that did the same type of stuff," his dad said.

"There was a lot of years he was there and we were here and we don't see or don't know," Janet said.

"Jeffrey was very independent. His issues were his issues. He did not want to drag us through it. But, it's not dragging us through it, we wanted to be by him. Going through it."

He moved to Regina and opened a construction and roofing company, John said.

"He was actually thriving. He was doing really, really good. And we don't know what happened because all of a sudden, he just went downhill," he said.

"I feel he got involved in that and his life took a down spiral. Got involved in the wrong crowd and I'm not sure why or where he was at that time and point of his life. I feel he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

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As for advice for other parents with a loved one struggling with addiction, they said "don't give up and never stop trying."

"Listen to them and push them to get better," John said.

"Just remind them every day you love them. They have the strength, they have the power," Janet said.

The parents' full interview will be uploaded above soon.