Editor’s warning: This story contains details that could be disturbing to some
A publication ban has been lifted on the murder trial of three people found guilty of killing Nova Scotia lobster fisherman Joe Wickens in 2022
Court heard testimony that the three tortured Wickens for hours
His mother, Chris Kelley, says she now lives in a constant nightmare and is speaking out so that her son’s memory isn’t erased
“Evil lurks everywhere, and when it’s evil times three, it’s pure hell. And it will always be pure hell for me,” she said
“It stops the world. It stops your heart. It stops your breathing. It stops life.”
Wickens, her youngest son, was murdered in what prosecutors called a “heinous, calculated and prolonged killing.”
The 43-year-old was working as a fisherman and living with his mother on Cape Sable Island at the time
“He was lobstering and he just loved it — he loved the water,” she said
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On March 16, 2022, Kelley says her son went to visit fellow fisherman Michael Surette aftera fatal fishing boat incident.
“Mike had lost a boat and a man out fishing. So after Joe’s brother and his best friend was lost at sea, if there was someone he knew who lost somebody, he would go see how them and the crew were doing, and that was why he really went there,” said Kelley
“And Joey did say to him, ‘You know that boat wasn’t fit to be on the water,’ and that’s when he started beating him.”
According to court documents, the Crown alleged Surette, his girlfriend Brooklyn Gavel, and Dillon Deveau — who was staying with the pair at the time — beat and tortured Wickens before killing him
The Crown also alleged they set Gavel’s home in Pinkney’s Point, N.S., on fire to destroy the evidence
The three were arrested and charged with first-degree murder shortly after Wickens’ remains were recovered in the burnt home, kicking off a lengthy court case that wouldn’t go to trial until Spring 2025
“They tortured him for between six and seven hours. I had to leave the courtroom through some of the details,” said Kelley
In their submissions, prosecutors wrote that Wickens “spent his last day surrounded by his own blood, blinded, incapacitated and confined in a house of never-ending violence.”
Testimony during the judge-alone trial included allegations that Surette mutilated Wickens in several ways
The trial judge concluded the homicide was deliberate and found Surette guilty of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years
Deveau and Gavel were both found guilty of second-degree murder, with the former sentenced to 20 years to life, with parole eligibility set at 10 years
Gavel has yet to be sentenced
The publication ban was imposed in this case because Deveau was charged with murder in another case that was resolved without a trial
Kelley says she wants her son remembered for his kind heart and big energy. As she struggles to find peace, she says she’s focused on keeping her son’s memory alive
“I still wait for him to walk up the driveway because I still don’t believe it. It’s easier to pretend he’s in Newfoundland fishing. It don’t leave my mind,” said Kelley
“Hold your loved ones close. You never know when they’re gonna walk out the door and not come back.”
