Jackie Crazy Bull was murdered in 2007 in an act of random violence, and 19 years later her family members are still left without closure. She was one of five attack victims that night, but she was the only fatality. Police identified three suspects, but to date no one has been charged. “It’s starting to feel like a life sentence for our family, knowing that there has never been anybody charged in Jackie’s murder,” said Sandra Manyfeathers, Jackie’s sister. “We’re still suffering as a family. We don’t have closure, we need closure for this, for our family,” added Beverly Crazy Bull, another of Jackie’s sisters. The family continues to call for justice through an annual walk. It began on 18th Ave SW and concluded at 17th Ave near 11th street, the scene of the murder. At the time of her murder Jackie was 43 years old, and would be 62 today. Her untimely passing left several of her children without a mother. “(Jackie’s son) Clifford was only a baby. Now he’s 21 and he’s still trying to get to know … He doesn’t know his mother. He only reads from the paper what happened to his mother on the news and the newspaper. And she has grandchildren too. They are all grown up, without closure, without ever meeting their grandmother,” Beverly said. “If justice was finally served in this case, it would mean the world to her children. Her children could start creating some kind of normalcy with their life,” Sandra added. A prayer and a song The walk began with a prayer and a song to remember Jackie, and her family describes her as an incredibly strong woman who embodied her Blackfoot culture and language. “She was trying to help people. That’s the kind of person my sister was, she helped people. She loved everybody unconditionally, because that’s what the way we were brought up, to love each other,” Beverly said. “She taught me to be this kind of a person, to never give up and to stand for injustice,” Sandra said. Nineteen years without any end in sight has also led to significant frustrations surrounding the justice system for the family, who say Jackie’s murder deserves to see someone held responsible. “Nineteen years have passed. I understand that it’s a long time, but it is really telling about how the judicial system does not take these kinds of murders serious when it is an Indigenous woman,” Sandra said. Showing support Other community members who didn’t know Jackie personally also showed up, as they wanted to show their support for the family members and join their cause to have this 19 year old case resolved. “She deserves justice. Her family here deserve justice, and they’ve not gotten it,” said Cat Schick, a community member at the walk.
