Warning: This article contains graphic content and images A man who killed his two sons in Saint John, N.B., in January 2025 has been formally sentenced to life in prison. Roman Kamyshnyy, 46, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder on June 24. Kamyshnyy stabbed the 10-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy to death the morning of Jan. 29, 2025, before he tried to kill himself with a nail gun to his head. Before receiving his sentence, Kamyshnyy was given the chance to share his final thoughts. He reiterated that he still has no memory from the morning of the murders, and didn’t plan to kill his children. “They only believed my ex-wife sitting over there crying,” he said. “Her image was like perfect, she did everything correctly. I didn’t do everything incorrectly.” Justice Darrell Stephenson interjected at one point to try and keep Kamyshnyy on track, but he eventually cut him off. “I quite simply have no desire to waste further words on you,” said Stephenson. “You made a plan, you acted on that plan, and it is now time we imposed the penalty for those actions.” Kamyshnyy received two life sentences, which will be served concurrently. In Canada, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. ‘Long and painful chapter’: Mother The lawyer for Kamyshnyy’s ex-wife, who can only be identified as Witness A due to a court-ordered publication ban on her identity, read a statement on her behalf outside the courthouse after the sentencing. “Today marks the end of a very long and painful chapter,” read Mel Norton. “No sentence can change what happened or restore what has been taken from me. Nothing that happens in a courtroom can lessen the loss of my children, or the grief that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” Witness A wrote in her statement that she’s grateful the criminal process has come to an end and the person responsible for the deaths of her children has been held accountable. “My children were so much more than the circumstances of their death. They were joyful, deeply loved, and full of promise. They had their own personalities, friendships, dreams and futures,” she wrote. “My hope is that as this case moves beyond the courtroom, they will be remembered not for how they died, but for how they lived and for the love they brought to everyone who knew them.” She thanked the police, first responders, Crown prosecutors, victim services, court staff and those who supported her through the process, especially the community of Saint John. “Your generosity has carried me through some of the darkest moments of my life, and I will never forget it,” she wrote. “For a very long time, much of my life has been defined publicly by what happened to my family. As these proceedings come to an end I hope to be given the privacy and space to continue grieving, healing, and rebuilding my life.” “My children will always be the greatest joy of my life,” she added. “Although they are no longer with me, their love remains with me every day. My focus is now on carrying their memory forward, honoring their lives, the lives they lived, and finding a way to move ahead with them always in my heart.” Victim impact statements Only one victim impact statement was read out loud in court on Thursday. Norton, who is also a former mayor of the city, read the statement on behalf of the Saint John community. Norton said the murders impacted the entire city and noted they happened close to a school. “These offences shocked the conscience of Saint John. They affected the community profoundly because Saint John is not a large or anonymous city, it is a city full of neighbourhoods,” Norton told the court. “Personal, families, school, professional, and community relationships frequently overlap. There are very few, if any, degrees of separation between us … even residents without a direct personal connection felt the weight of what had occurred.” Norton also said children should not have to face the reality that people their age can lose their lives at the hands of adults. “That knowledge changes a school community,” he said. Norton also asked that people remember the boys not just as victims, but as children who had friendships, hopes and abilities. Saint John High School, family members of Witness A, police officers and community members who knew the boys, also submitted victim impact statements, but they were not read out loud in court. ‘Driven by vengeance’: What the court heard A previous publication ban prevented the media from reporting the relationship between Kamyshnyy and the boys, but that ban has since been lifted. It can now be reported the two boys were his sons. However, the identities of the boys, known only as A.B. and C.D. during the trial, remain protected under a publication ban. The Crown told the trial, which started on June 8, that Kamyshnyy “was driven by vengeance” and he killed the boys to “punish” his ex-wife, identified as Witness A. The court was shown a message from Kamyshnyy to Witness A that said, “I killed them all” before he shared his intentions to take his own life. A message shortly after read: “Call for us the police and ambulance.” The jury also saw various letters, documents and videos the Crown said were created by Kamyshnyy in the days before the murders. “To Canadian officials, my name is Roman Kamyshnyy and I’m fully responsible for this situation,” Crown attorney Elaina Campbell read to the courtroom from Kamyshnyy’s letter during closing arguments on June 23. 911 call from C.D. A 911 call from the 17-year-old boy, identified as C.D., was played for the jury during the trial. “Please, please, please help,” the 17-year-old pleaded with the 911 operator during the call, which was made around 7 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2025. “Please, please, he got a knife.” ‘He just said he killed them’ Witnesses who lived in the apartment building at the time of the murders testified they heard a commotion around 7 a.m. and one said they saw a puddle of blood in the hall. A close friend of Witness A testified that he received a call from the witness the morning of the murders. “He did it … he just said he killed them and he’s going to try to kill himself,” Corey Dugas told the court Witness A said to him over the phone. Kamyshnyy found covered in blood The police officers who responded to the crime scene also testified at the trial and the court was shown their bodycam footage. They told the court they found C.D. lying in the hallway of the apartment and the younger boy, A.B., lying in a bed. The officers also testified that they found Kamyshnyy sitting on the toilet, covered in blood. The court heard that Kamyshnyy was first taken to the police detention centre and then to the hospital, where it was determined the wounds in his head were from two nail guns. He underwent emergency surgery to have them removed. Boys died from multiple stab wounds A forensic identification officer testified that he counted 16 different cut marks in the T-shirt worn by the 10-year-old victim and 11 in the shirt worn by the 17-year-old victim. The man who performed the autopsies on the two boys testified that they both died from multiple stab wounds. Kamyshnyy said he didn’t remember murders Kamyshnyy was the sole witness called to the stand by the defence during the trial. He testified that he doesn’t remember the morning the two boys were killed. Kamyshnyy did not recall the knives that appeared to have blood on them, pictures of which were shown in court. Nor did he remember the noises neighbours in the apartment building testified about hearing that morning. “The explanation is pretty simple,” he told the court while on the stand. “I was living normal life ... then I close my eyes, open, and I’m at the hospital,” Kamyshnyy testified, adding he has no memories of police arriving that morning, or his trip to the Saint John Regional Hospital to have a pair of nails removed from his head. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
