After 11 years and some unexpected delays, the parents of a slain Mission woman finally got their daughter's belongings back from the RCMP on Friday.
Earlier in the week, Rosemarie and Mark Surakka accused the RCMP of violating a court order calling for it hand over Lisa Dudley's possessions within 30 days.
The items had been held at the Mission RCMP detachment, but were moved to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team's headquarters in Surrey because the Mission detachment's evidence room is closed on weekends.
For the Surakkas, the change was one final frustration after years of difficulty. On Friday, Rosemarie Surakka told CTV News she no longer trusts the RCMP because of her experience over the last decade.
"This part of the ordeal is over. The RCMP didn't make anything easy for us," she said. "It was like they just strapped a saddle on me 11 years ago and they've been riding me to this day. And now that part is over, so I do feel a little sense of freedom here."
Lisa Dudley and her boyfriend, Guthrie McKay, were shot in a 2008 attack over a marijuana grow-op in their home.
McKay died immediately. Dudley survived but was paralyzed from the shooting.
An RCMP officer who responded to the 911 call didn't get out of his vehicle to investigate, prompting an inquest in 2018.
Dudley lay in the home for four days until a neighbour found her and called for help. She died in hospital.
Rosemarie Surakka said most of Dudley's belongings are now in her possession, but she says a few things are missing.
"I didn't get one of her cell phones, which today I found out they said belonged to someone else and not to Lisa," Surakka said. "I said, 'but the evidence papers show that it was in Lisa's truck.' I know who they gave it to. I will call them and see."
She said cash that was confiscated from Dudley's home also hasn't been returned, adding that officers told her she should expect to receive a cheque from the receiver general instead.
