It was a happy habit, their evening walk, the summer habit, of course.

Too soon now that crisp bite in the air would turn bitter cold.

But not yet.

That day, Friday, October 3rd, had been uncommonly warm for Edmonton, and twilight seemed

to linger as they ambled along the path that wound its way through their neighborhood.

It was a good neighborhood, safe, established, not quite grand, but not modest either.

So they wandered the two of them and listened to parents calling in kids from the park.

Almost dark now.

There, out of nowhere, there it was, sudden, shocking, terrifying.

I have never, in my life, felt fear like that.

That is Marissa Gherini, remembering the young man who stumbled out of an alley and collapsed at their feet.

Came right across our path, just kind of fell in front of us.

So stumbling along.

Yes.

Marissa's partner, Trevor Hosinger, was alarmed too, but something about it seemed off somehow.

And to me, that didn't look real.

It looked like it was staged.

And what was he doing or saying, or how is he behaving?

He looked at me and said, I'm being robbed. Can you help me?

And it was just an instant bad feeling. It was like everything in my body just tensed up.

I felt bad. This is a bad situation. I knew right away something was wrong.

And then, as if on cue, another man appeared, seemingly in pursuit.

...