By Andrea Nicholl
It’s been three years since the brutal beating and stabbing of 20-year-old Dylan McGillis, but his father says the wounds are still open and so is the case.
Dylan was walking along Whyte Avenue, in Edmonton’s nightlife district, in the early hours of Nov. 19, 2006, when he and a friend were swarmed by a group of men. After an unprovoked beating, Dylan was savagely stabbed in the stomach and died later in hospital.
“It’s tough, as it gets closer to the date I can’t seem to remember the good times. You play everything through your head - the phone call, the getting there, seeing him beaten and bruised and tubes - just the most horrible things you could ever imagine,” said his father Grant McGillis. “It is tough during this time, regardless if it’s three years.”
Family and friends held a memorial vigil on Sunday afternoon to mark the third anniversary of Dylan’s death and to celebrate the young man’s short life. His family and friends vow to hold the memorial vigil each year until his killer is found.
“When he was lying there, dying in the hospital bed I made a promise that I wasn’t going to quit,” said Grant. “We held a vigil one month after his death, and the years after - it’s tough, but I’m not going to quit.”
Dylan’s family is pleading with witnesses to break the silence and step forward with any information pertaining to his murder. There were a few people who saw the vicious attack, and Dylan’s family is hopeful that people will come forward now that time has passed and they may have children of their own now.
“The coward that stabbed Dylan doesn’t deserve protection. I get frustrated, I get angry, I get so many different emotions. Somebody needs to be held accountable for what they’ve done to Dylan and his family,” said Grant. “I don’t know if there will ever be closure, but at least someone will be held accountable for taking Dylan’s life.
“He was an easygoing sort of kid, he was a free spirit, he cared about people and had a good heart. He was one of a kind.”
Grant remains optimistic that his son’s killer(s) will be found, and says the investigation is still ongoing, but progressing slowly.
If you have any information about Dylan’s murder call Edmonton Police at 780-423-4567 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
For more information visit www.dylanmcgillis.ca.