Edmonton murder victim lived to help others, died alone

Nadine Skow died in the most horrible way imaginable.

Alone with her killer, terrified, she screamed and screamed as she was stabbed numerous times.

But no one came to help. No one called police.

Then, according to court documents, her killer allegedly mutilated her bodyby removing organs.

People who knew Skow would far rather remember how she lived than how she died.

She lived to help others, they say.

Perhaps she still can.

Kristine Cassie, the CEO of the Lethbridge YWCA, worked with Skow for a few years.

She said the best way people can honour Skow's memory is to get involved, to help even one woman escape from violence. Escape the way Skow, in her last moments, couldn't.

"When we're questioning if we should get involved in a situation," Cassie said, "think about Nadine. Think about her being the kind person that she was. Being able to help other people.

"Then think about Nadine in the last moments on this Earth. Living in such fear, in her own home. Being so abandoned, being so alone. Then ask yourself again if you can help. And I hope that the answer is going be 'yes.'"

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Skow was 38 years old. A few years ago, before she moved to Edmonton, she worked at the Lethbridge YWCA, where she was supervisor of a youth program that worked with teenagers leaving the children's services system.

"Some people just have a calling in life, they like to serve others," said Cassie. "And that was certainly Nadine.

"It's beyond tragic, what happened to her. People are really very shocked."

She said employees at the YWCA, and former employees and clients, have been talking about the killing since they first heard about it this week.

The man accused of killing Skow was a former boyfriend she broke up with about a year ago.

"These type of situations, it's almost a domestic type," Staff Sgt. Bill Clark said Wednesday on the sidewalk outside the downtown apartment building where Skow was killed. "There was probably a little bit of jealousy, or possibility, I would say in this case, some type of rage involved. For whatever reason. Who knows?"

YWCA's across the country run programs for victims of domestic violence. In Lethbridge, Cassie said, they run a women's emergency shelter.

"We're very in tune with what the issues are," she said. "In many ways, we put up that filter, to protect ourselves when we're hearing stories from the people that we serve. Then when this happens, it really brings all those stories and all the reality of what we're dealing with to life again for us."

Cassie said when things like this happen, our society needs to ask: are we doing enough?

Cassie said she keeps a picture in her office of a young woman who was stabbed to death by her partner years ago.

On Friday, the YWCA will hold a moment of silence for this latest victim of violence in their serenity garden, then will release purple balloons, the colour that represents the ongoing campaign to bring an end to domestic violence.

Silva Koshwal, also 38, was arrested Tuesday in connection with Skow's killing. He has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body.

CBC learned he turned himself into police Tuesday evening after seeing the story on the 6 p.m. news.