Friends of a 35-year-old gas station attendant who was run over two years ago during a gas-and-dash are struggling to come to terms with the outcome of the legal case.
Earlier this month, a jury acquitted Joshua Mitchell, 22, of second-degree murder and instead found him guilty of manslaughter in the death of Maryam Rashidi.
The trial was told Rashidi ran out and tried to block Mitchell's vehicle, jumping on the hood of the stolen truck he was driving after he filled up at a Calgary Centex station and didn't pay the $113 he owed.
She had only been on the job for two weeks, having emigrated to Canada from Iran in 2014 with her husband.
Both had engineering jobs before being laid off when the Alberta economy started to decline.
Friends tell CTV Calgary that her husband, Ahmad Nourani Shalloo, and their son relocated to Vancouver after her death and were devastated to hear of the verdict.
They did not attend the trial, and supporter Ehsan Hosseini said Shalloo is "not in a good situation right now."
Others said people need to understand why Rashidi tried so hard to stop Mitchell from stealing from her employer.
"She always talked about her rights and responsibilities as a new Canadian," said close friend Hayat Amer.
"As a newcomer, she wanted to start a family. "I asked 'Do you want to have more kids?' and she said 'Yes, I want to have more kids. Canadian kids.' "
"I think humanity has wronged humanity here," said Farida Mirkalami. "That's all I can say."
Mitchell is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Friday when a date for sentencing will be determined.
A manslaughter conviction does not carry an automatic sentence and a broad range of penalties are possible. The Crown says it will seek a heavy sentence for Mitchell.
(CTV Calgary)
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