Community trauma laid out in court
Victim impact statements filed in the Court of King’s Bench in Saint John have painted a picture of deep and lasting harm following the deaths of two young boys killed in their home on Jan. 29, 2025. The father, Roman Kamyshnyy, 46, was found guilty in June of two counts of first‑degree murder. On Thursday, Justice Darrell Stephenson imposed concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The boys, identified in court documents only as A.B. and C.D. under a publication ban, were described in moving written statements from family members, friends and colleagues that underscored how the killings have affected individuals and the wider Saint John community.
“To anyone else it may have seemed like a small piece of plastic. But to our son, it was one of the few tangible connections he still had of his friend.”
The passage above comes from Detective Constable Duane Squires of the Saint John Police Force, who described an effort by his family to recover a Jibbitz shoe charm that had belonged to one of the victims. The statement conveys how ordinary moments and small objects have taken on enlarged significance in the wake of the deaths.
Evidence and motive presented at trial
During the two‑week trial, the Crown advanced evidence that the killings were carried out so the father could inflict maximum pain on his ex‑wife following the breakdown of their marriage. Justice Stephenson described the motive as “quite simply vengeance,” saying the evidence showed the children were murdered to hurt their mother “in the most gruesome manner imaginable.”
At sentencing, the court noted Kamyshnyy provided a videotaped statement to Sgt. Tony Gilbert of the Saint John Police Force’s major crime unit on April 23, 2026. In his address to the court, Kamyshnyy said he did not remember the events of the day. Evidence at trial also showed he had previously survived a suicide attempt involving a nail gun and later had two nails surgically removed from his brain.
Sentence and legal outcome
Justice Stephenson imposed the mandatory Criminal Code penalty for first‑degree murder: life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 25 years. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.
| Offence | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Two counts of first‑degree murder | Life, concurrent; no parole for 25 years |
Aftermath for families and the city
Victim impact submissions outlined both personal grief and broader community effects. The basketball team of one of the boys created commemorative items bearing the younger child’s jersey number. Family members described day‑to‑day reminders of loss and the ways ordinary activities have been altered by grief and trauma.
- Detective constable Duane Squires described searching for a lost Jibbitz charm with his family, an episode that became a poignant example of the personal impact.
- The Crown argued the killings were motivated by revenge against the boys’ mother following a recent divorce.
- The accused maintained he had no memory of the events when addressing the court.
The case has drawn attention to the enduring ripple effects of violent crime on small communities, including the ways in which everyday moments become laden with meaning for those left behind. The mandatory sentence imposed by the judge reflects the seriousness of the convictions; beyond the courtroom, the emotional and social consequences laid out in the victim statements will continue to shape healing and public conversations in Saint John.
Court records and victim impact statements remain subject to publication restrictions protecting the identities of the victims and certain witnesses.
