PROJECT DELAYS
Parents are puzzled after Willowgrove and Holy Family schools are delayed.
As part of the sentencing process for David Woods after his firstdegree murder conviction, friends and family of Dorothy Woods had a chance to address the court.
Dorothy’s brother, Lawrence Carter, wrote a heartfelt victim impact statement but didn’t feel he could read it aloud, so Crown prosecutor Michael Segu read it into the record. Carter did not mention David Woods by name. Dorothy’s friend Elizabeth Tawpisin read her victim impact statement herself, addressing David Woods directly.
Below are their victim impact statements, edited for length:
LAWRENCE CARTER, DOROTHY’S BROTHER
Originally, I was not going to write one of these victim impact statements because I felt that in some sick, twisted, sadistic way her murderer would have some pleasure and sense of accomplishment in knowing that he could deeply hurt so many people ... But I changed my mind.
Throughout the trial my feelings were deeply hurt by the false portrayal of Dorothy and how she cared for her children as well as her daycare children. Dorothy was such an amazing woman. She was a loving mother that did everything for her kids ...
Losing Dorothy will greatly affect my life because she was such an awesome sister. ... Dorothy was always the life of the party. I wish I was more like her. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Dorothy also helped me through several tough times in my life. We talked about things that I never could speak to anyone about. Missing you hurts so much. I LOVE YOU DOT! …
The two months of chaos, worry, panic, sleepless nights and being scared from mid Nov. 2011 to early Jan. 2012 was very hard on me ... Every day it was get (my daughter) to school, then put up posters, trying to find leads or info on the phone and computer, doing interviews to get the message of Dorothy’s disappearance out, doing ground searches, then pick up (my daughter) from school and pretend that it would all be OK, for my daughter’s benefit. After getting her to bed it was either more phone calls and computer stuff ... Then repeat day after day. Dorothy’s husband never offered help, he did not return my calls, he did not ask for any posters.
... The ground searches of fields and areas of brush and bushes around the outskirts of Saskatoon were emotionally very hard to do. Searching for your sister’s body that you loved so much and hoping you don’t find Dorothy but having to be prepared for it if you do find Dorothy was torture. A few times I broke down out there but some of Dorothy’s friends were always with me. I don’t know what I would have done without them. I owe them a great deal of gratitude ...
I am shattered and emotionally drained and have been for the longest time. Now I can get some closure and start to pick up the pieces of my heart and life.
ELIZABETH TAWPISIN, DOROTHY’S FRIEND:
Dorothy Ann Carter was a loving mother, sister, auntie, daughter and friend. You had no right to take her life. You knew the Carter family all your life — and this is how you treat their daughter. You knew how much it hurt Dorothy to lose her loving mother Muriel — yet you take your children’s mother from them. Dorothy loved being a mother. She was most proud of her children. She deserved to see her kids grow to see their milestones. She deserved to be a grandmother one day! One day you will answer to a higher power for this selfish, terrible act. You will also answer face-to-face with Dorothy one day. You didn’t deserve her for your wife. She always was better than you! I for one am glad she found comfort from someone else. I for one never believed your lies