Tears in courtroom as eight-year-old son of murdered Edmonton ...

Warning: this story contains details some readers may find disturbing. 

Damian Cooke climbed the stair to the witness stand, his aunt at his side, and began to read what he had written about his mom.

“My mom was very nice. She gave me the best fifth birthday,” the boy told the hushed courtroom.

Suddenly, tears welled in his eyes. He leaned into his aunt, crying.

Cooke, eight, spoke at a sentencing hearing Monday for Hunter Duncan, the man convicted last year of murdering Cooke’s mother, Breianna Schamber.

A jury found Duncan guilty late last year of second-degree murder, hearing he strangled Schamber in her home after a breakup with his girlfriend. Schamber’s wounds were so severe a medical examiner compared them to those suffered by some hanging victims.

Duncan, 26, faces a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 10-25 years. The Crown is asking for Duncan to serve 18 years before being allowed to apply for release, while the defence argued for 12-15 years.

Court heard Duncan was an abusive alcoholic with a history of stalking. He has 31 prior convictions, nine of which relate to domestic violence, some of which involved choking. The victim in some of those cases was his ex-partner, Merissa Wright, who kicked him out of her home on Dec. 2, 2019.

A short time after the breakup, Duncan broke into Wright’s home while she slept, used her phone to transfer money to himself and stole her car. He then drove around town intoxicated before buying cocaine. At some point, he contacted Schamber, 25, and arranged to pay her for sex.

At some point, Duncan attacked Schamber. In addition to the injuries to her neck, Schamber suffered injuries all over her body, including a major wound to the back of her head.

Duncan — whose face was bloodied during the violence — then doused the scene with vinegar, stole Schamber’s phone and left the home. As he rushed to leave, he left behind his jacket.

Police eventually identified Duncan as a suspect and arrested him on June 10, 2020. Schamber’s phone was never found.

Breianna Schamber, seen in an undated photo with her son Damian Cooke. Cooke gave a victim impact statement in court on May 29, 2023, at the sentencing of his mother’s killer, Hunter Duncan. Photo by Cornerstone Funeral Home

Prosecutor Domina Hussain told Court of King’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil that while the Crown does not need to prove Duncan’s motive for killing Schamber, it has two theories.

She said either Duncan tried to defraud Schamber when he realized he didn’t have enough money, then got violent when she took exception. Or, he violently murdered her in cold blood.

Either case is “very aggravating,” Hussain said.

Hussain said a report by the Integrated Threat, Risk and Assessment Centre — prepared by law enforcement following a previous conviction — found Duncan is a high risk for future violence. She said he had an unremarkable upbringing relatively free from trauma. She added he has taken a “dishonest” approach to treatment, convincing those in authority that he knows he needs help, only to return to drinking when it suits him.

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“He admitted that he was aware that alcohol contributes to his criminal behaviour but, despite this, he continued making home brew while incarcerated,” Hussain said. She noted he was on release conditions at the time he committed the murder.

Defence lawyer Lance McClean argued for a shorter period of parole ineligibility, arguing Duncan had taken steps toward rehabilitation while in jail, while acknowledging that insight came “far too late.”

Belzil heard nearly 20 victim impact statements from Schamber’s friends and family.

Schamber’s younger sister took the loss particularly hard and has since died. “She dissolved into her environment and let the wind take her soul,” her mother wrote.

Cooke’s aunt read the remainder of his statement while holding him in her arms. He said he misses making banana splits with his mom and wishes he could show her the tricks he’s learned on her bike.

“I know she would be proud of me,” he wrote.

He concluded: “You, Hunter Duncan, took my mommy away from me, and I hate you for that.”

Belzil is expected to give his decision on the sentence on Tuesday. Duncan declined to address the court.

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