 Emily Stauffer was slain in Edson, September 2008. Ross Edward Kleman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Monday. (Sun file)
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EDMONTON - HINTON, Alta. — Ross Kleman admitted in court Monday to choking and slashing the throat of an Edson church girl, killing the 14-year-old pastor’s daughter.
Kleman was initially charged with first-degree murder for the brutal attack on Emily Stauffer, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Hinton.
Court heard 44-year-old Kleman struggled with Stauffer, choked her, and slashed her throat on Sept. 27, 2008.
The teen was slain in broad daylight while walking along a popular walking trail.
Family of Stauffer were relieved to hear the news Monday.
“Our faith has sustained us,” said Stauffer’s grandpa Allen Hern, who is the pastor of a Kamloops church.
Thankful for the guilty plea, the family is happy neither side will have to face a lengthy trail.
Still, birthdays, Christmas and other holidays make the loss hit home.
“It has been a year of firsts dealing with the loss,” said Sheila Hern, grandma of Stauffer.
The death of the deeply religious pastor’s daughter crippled Edson with fear as streets cleared and people retreated into their homes.
“There was a sense of shock and fear,” said Edson Mayor Greg Pasychny.
But the town 200 km west of Edmonton soon banded together, raising a reward pot topping $30,000 for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of Stauffer’s killer.
“I commend the RCMP on doing an incredible job,” said Pasychny.
“There was such a sense of relief (upon hearing of the capture.)
“It is a positive outcome in a horrific event,”
Stauffer was an accomplished pianist and avid photographer who was active in her church choir.
Her dad, Terry, is a pastor who preaches at the Edson Baptist Church.
The victim did not know her killer.
Before his December 2008 arrest, Kleman was a travelling preacher who frequented the Bread of Life Mission in Edson.
He had no criminal record prior to his arrest.
Emilie Findlay, who worked with Kleman at the Bread of Life Mission, described him as a generous man with “a heart of gold.”
“He ended up to be totally different than what he (seemed),” said Findlay,
“God will forgive him (but) maybe others won’t.”
Findlay also knew Stauffer.
“She was a lovely girl, she sang and played the piano and had a lot in her future,” she said. “It’s so sad.”
Kleman also pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of touching a five-year-old in a sexual manner in 2008.
With the guilty plea, Kleman will be sentenced to at least a life term for the slaying.
He will be sentenced June 9.
