Calgary mother pleads for witnesses to come forward 20 years after son's stabbing death
On the 20th anniversary of her son's death a Calgary mother is pleading for someone to come forward to provide any information that may lead her son's killer to justice.
Steffi Stehwien says the pain of losing her child hasn't eased.
"He loved to giggle I still hear him, his voice and his giggle," she told CTV News on Friday afternoon from her home, as she looked over photo albums and cherished memories of her son, Aaron Shoulders.
He died shortly after turning 18 in the days after his first night out with friends.
"He went to celebrate, went a night club. Never came home."
Steffi Stehwien says the pain of losing her child hasn't eased. "He loved to giggle I still hear him, his voice and his giggle," she told CTV News on Friday afternoon from her home, as she looked over photo albums and cherished memories of her son, Aaron Shoulders.
In the early morning of August 17, 2003, Calgary police say a confrontation between two groups escalated outside a former nightclub on 1st Street S.W. at 14 Avenue S.W. when Aaron Shoulders was stabbed in the chest.
He died 15 days later in hospital on Sept. 1st.
Stehwien says there were between 100 and 200 people that may have seen it happen.
No witnesses came forward, no suspects were identified, and now she fears her son's killer may not face justice.
"So here's all these people standing and watching and nobody's coming forward and its 20 years down the road?"
COULD BE REACTIVATED
Calgary police say the homicide unit includes a team dedicated to historical homicides.
In a statement to CTV News, the Calgary Police Service said in part:
"Aaron Shoulders' case remains open but is not active at this moment. There were numerous witnesses outside the nightclub and if more evidence or key witnesses came forward, this could lead to progression in the investigation to hold those accountable for this tragic loss."
Stehwien continued to advocate for her son's case and for other victims of violent crime by organizing an annual march through downtown Calgary -- she stopped running the event in 2017.
Stehwien continued to advocate for her son's case and for other victims of violent crime by organizing an annual march through downtown Calgary -- she stopped running the event in 2017.
However, she says she hopes speaking out on this sombre anniversary will help.
"There's a glimmer of a hope that maybe it rattles somebody enough to do the right thing. I mean it should've been done 20 years ago."
Anyone with any information can reach CPS directly or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders push back on 'misguided criticism' of grocer as boycott begins
Loblaw's new chief executive, as well as chairman Galen Weston, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a push to boycott the company gains steam online.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.