HUNTER: Teen killer's mantra, 'Better to be the one doing the killing'

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Jordanna Kucher’s daughter is now about 18 months old.

That baby will never know her mom. Chances are much better that she will know her mother’s killer when he emerges triumphant after a blink-and-you-will-miss-it jolt in prison.

And make no mistake, it seems obvious this violent little monster will be back. There will be more bloody business at the morgue, more tears and more rage.

We will stand impotent.

We do not know his name, of course, he’s protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Here’s what we do know.

On Nov. 14, 2024, the unnamed teen, then 16 and on crutches (he had been shot a month prior), shot Jordanna Kucher, 20, in the back outside Saskatoon’s Copper Mug Pub. Cops say it was a botched robbery.

When cops arrived, Kucher was face down on the cold pavement with a bullet in her back. The junior gangbanger didn’t even have the guts to look her in the eyes as he squeezed the trigger. She died in the hospital 30 minutes later.

It took about eight minutes to catch the killer and his allegedly violent, 36-year-old girlfriend, Katelin McGillivary, who goes on trial for first-degree murder in September.

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In a taxi after the slaying, the killer and the co-accused allegedly discussed “murder,” and “taking care of business.” He had a gun in his waistband.

Now 17, the kid pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last Thursday. The prosecution, the kid’s lawyer and the judge agonized, fretted and commiserated on the killer boy’s fate.

Setting the stage was heavy security in the courtroom. Several guards were placed around the prisoner’s box.

And then came the sentencing.

During a psychiatric assessment, the teen terror said, “I’d like to be the first kid to punch a judge in the face.” A boozer and a gangbanger since childhood, he said he chose the gang because “it’s kill or be killed out there.” He philosophically added,  “It’s better to be the one doing the killing.”

So it was agreed he should get the max youth sentence of seven years. Should he be enrolled in an intense rehab program? After all, his lawyer said the boy was “ambivalent about leaving the gang life.”

There is also the usual tangled tale of woe: Junkie mom who belonged to a gang, older brother a killer and in 2022, a murder victim. No dad. And when he faced the music? There was zero family support.

While the young killer was recommended for rehab, the teen took a pass, his lawyer said. He would not participate in programming, even if he were ordered.

An hour’s worth of victim impact statements failed to move the needle for real justice. Kucher was beloved, a talented dancer and a “firecracker.”

The shooter was sentenced to seven years, but the judge did not force him to take the rehab programming. Four years in custody, three years close supervision in the community. Lifetime firearms ban. (Har! Har!)

When offered a chance to speak, the kid remained mum.

So, he’ll do his teensy tiny bit of time, be one of the big men on campus in juvie and then march out the gates, a veritable criminal rock star.

Back home to collect the plaudits.

And then, odds are, he will pick up a gun and do it all again.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HUnterTOSun