Family of murdered paraplegic relieved killer denied bail

John Shachtay holds a photo of his granddaughter Victoria and great-granddaughter Destiny. Victoria was killed in 2011 after opening a bomb disguised as a Christmas gift.  

By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

The family of a disabled single mother killed by a bomb disguised as a Christmas gift was relieved to find out the man convicted of killing her will stay behind bars, at least for now. 

An Alberta Court of Appeal judge denied convicted murderer Brian Malley, 57, bail pending a fall appeal last month. 

Malley was found guilty of first-degree murder in relation to the 2011 killing of Victoria Shachtay in February. 

The disabled single mom was killed after opening a pipe bomb disguised as a Christmas gift left on her Innisfail, Alta. doorstep in 2011. She was 23. 

Shachtay’s father Victor was visiting family north of Selkirk in Libau, Man. when he heard the news.

He said the murder of his daughter was a senseless tragedy, and he is glad Malley will stay behind bars. 

“That piece of scum should never be let out of jail as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Court of Appeal Justice Jean Côté said Malley has good reason to skip bail.

The former Alberta financial adviser is currently facing an $80 million class-action lawsuit from clients who allege he lost an estimated $50 million in their retirement savings. The allegations have not been proven. 

At Malley’s murder trial, court heard Victoria Shachtay had entrusted him with more than $500,000 she received in a settlement from a car crash that left her wheelchair bound.

The Crown successfully argued Malley killed Shachtay to cut his losses. 

Victor said his life has never returned to normal since losing his daughter, but he has learned to deal with the loss. 

“I can sleep at night. I came to terms with it, because of the experience before hand when she got into the accident and almost lost her life,” he said. 

He remembers the day of his daughter’s bombing well. He was at his home in Didsbury, Alta. when he learned of the death from his other daughter. 

“She told me that they killed her,” he recalls. 

Victor said Victoria’s daughter Destiny, who was seven-years-old at the time of her mother’s killing, was her life.

“She was a very loving and caring mother,” he said. 

“That’s what she wanted. That’s what her whole life was about.”

Victoria’s grandfather John Shachtay was also pleased with the result of Malley’s bail hearing.

He said he wants to warn the public not to open strange packages they may receive. 

“When they get the parcel don’t open it,” he said. 

Victor said bombs serve as horrible murder weapons, because they can kill anything they come in contact with. 

“There’s no way of telling who a bomb’s going to kill. Bombs have no eyes, no compassion for anybody or anything,” he said. 

When his daughter was killed, her live-in caregiver was home at the time of the bombing, but was not injured from the explosion. Destiny was not home when the explosion took her mother’s life.

Malley’s appeal is scheduled to be heard by a Calgary court in September. 

Brian Malley. 

 -- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition July 2 2015 p.2