Okotoks councillor faces man charged with killing his daughter

The man accused of killing the daughter of Okotoks town councilor Ed Sands began his bid for freedom in a Calgary courtroom last week and Sands and his wife were there to hear it.

Amy Sands was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Aug. 31 while partying in a garage in the Calgary community of Dover. Police say the house had ties to gang activity and Sands wasn’t the intended target of the shooting.

It was the first time Ed and Debbie Sands had heard some of the details about what happened to Amy.

They said they knew she had gone to the Dover home to see her ex-boyfriend, who had recently been released from jail. She had been addicted to crystal meth for a while and was living a high-risk lifestyle, Ed Sands said.

The evidence given at the bail hearing cannot be reported because of a publication ban. Sands said they wanted to be there to hear what the lawyers said after hearing a lot of rumours.

“I did see this as an opportunity to hear the facts,” Sands said. “Up until now it’s been so and so said and the police can’t say anything – they have to do their process.”

It was hard hearing the Crown prosecutor’s matter of fact description of what led up to Amy’s death, Sands said.

“I don’t care how prepared you are,” Sands said. “You’ve been living with it for two months, but sometimes the cold words hit you hard.”

Prior to going to court the Sands said they wanted nothing to do with Hill’s family, but said they felt differently after hearing about what they have been through.

“I feel nothing but sympathy for them,” he said. “He’s been a troubled kid for a long time. They have been through a lot with his past escapades. At the end of it you just go you poor people.”

The bail hearing was held for over an hour on Oct. 31, but couldn’t be completed because the defence needed time to review new evidence.

Hill’s lawyer, Adriano Iovinelli, asked for the bail hearing to be adjourned to Nov. 9 to set a date to resume the hearing.

Sands said he wasn’t discouraged by the delay.

“We know that this stuff goes on and on and on,” he said. “I’m not worried about them needing some time to take some time to review the new evidence.”

The Sands plan to be at the bail hearing when it resumes. Sands said he doesn’t want to see Hill released from jail and believes he would reoffend.

“I don’t think we will have a safer community if he’s let back on the street,” Sands said.