Residents of small town calling for bail reform following recent homicide

In the wake of a homicide that rocked a small town north of Winnipeg over the weekend, residents are calling for bail reform.

“It is time. It is time. We are getting tired of burying our young people,” said Debbie Kozyra, a business owner in Teulon.

“We need to work to strive to improve that system. And then horrific events like this do not have to happen.”

Donovan Skogan, 24, was out on bail when he allegedly killed 37-year-old Teulon resident Sean Lawson Sunday night.

“We have got to start looking at this. It’s happening over and over and over again. This is just one situation of many where the person has been let out and next thing has committed a horrific crime such as this one. And we really need to stop that revolving door,” said Kozyra.

The Manitoba legislature passed a motion earlier this year to demand bail reform after 28-year-old Kellie Verwey was killed by an alleged drunk driver who was also out on bail.

Sunday’s victim, Lawson, was described by friends as truly good, without a bad bone in his body. He left behind a 12-year-old son.

“It’s going to be devastating for the next little while, and being so young, at 12 years old, he is going to need all the support of all the family, all the friends and the community,” Kozyra explained.

Lawson was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries before he died, leaving Teulon residents wondering what might have happened if emergency services were closer. The town lost its emergency room and its RCMP detachment in the past several years.

“We don’t have RCMP around here like we used to, so when a situation did happen, you had at a turnaround time of maybe five minutes. Now, a lot of the emergencies, you’re looking at 20, 25 minutes or more,” Kozyra explained.

Kozyra is grateful to the first responders in this case and is now working on setting up a donation account for Lawson’s son, Brody, at the local Access Credit Union.

“With such a horrific, tragic situation like this, the son is going to need a lot of counselling, therapy. It’s going to help him with moving on with his life.”

She said funds raised will also go towards education, everyday expenses, and activities.

A donation account has been set up, and deposits can be made at any Access Credit Union location in Manitoba to Member #5396 labeled “Funds for Brody.” E-transfers can be made to fundsforbrody2025@gmail.com.