On Wednesday morning at Court of King’s Bench, 25-year-old Britain Volk was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole until 25 years served, for the first-degree murder of 35-year-old Aron Lunan in June.

Lunan’s body was first discovered on June 10, when RCMP officers were called to a rural area west of Regina near the community of Grand Coulee.

The cause of death was later determined to be two gunshot wounds with a .22 calibre rifle.

Family and friends of Lunan were in attendance to hear the sentence passed down by Justice Crystal Norbeck, including Lunan’s father Allan.

Crown prosecutor David Belanger read Allan’s victim impact statement for the court. In it, Lunan says that he has had to leave his house to live in his motor home, since there are too many memories of Aron in the house.

According to the statement, he has also isolated himself from his friends and taken time off work to grieve. Allan has also had to seek a mental health counselor and says his high blood pressure has gotten worse.

Belanger also read victim impact statements from Aron’s mother Janet and his sister, Christine.

“When I heard the news, it didn’t feel real and now I feel empty inside. Now when I hear a song we used to sing together, my heart aches. I’ll never get to hear his voice or hold him again,” Janet said in her statement.

Christine described her brother as having “such a big heart” and described being in shock and her mind going blank when she was informed of his death.

“My anxiety has gotten worse, and I am afraid every time my kids go out that any siren I hear could mean that they are not coming home,” her statement added.

Belanger reiterated that Volks sentence reflects the suffering the Lunan family has been forced to contend with.

“It’s very difficult to hear a family’s suffering such as this, and this is why the criminal justice system treats murderers with a mandatory life imprisonment sentence,” Belanger said.

The life sentence for Volk includes a lifetime prohibition on firearms, along with a no contact order with Allan, Janet, Christine, and the co-accused, Patrick Akapew, Tyler Edwards and Kayla Mitton.