Edmonton man charged after 15-year-old St. Albert boy killed in attack on trail

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A memorial is carved into a birch tree on the outskirts of north Edmonton for a St. Albert teenager who was randomly attacked while walking his dog and mother Tuesday night.

The tree is decorated with a cross and the inscription “RIP” in memory of 15-year-old Broden Radomske, who died at the scene after being stabbed by a man in a random attack at 9.30pm on Tuesday.

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Next to it lies a small bunch of flowers tied with a satin ribbon.

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“We will never forget you, Broden! We’ll see each other again. 21.5.24,” is written in black marker.

Edmonton City Police announced Thursday that 40-year-old Keith James Landry has been charged with first-degree murder.

“We will never forget you”

The attack occurred on a closed-off section of road at the corner of 137th Avenue and 184th Street in Edmonton.

Officers from Edmonton’s Northwest Division attempted to save the boy’s life when they were called to the scene of the accident, but were unable to save him.

The deserted road, where St. Albert’s residential area ends and Edmonton’s jurisdiction begins, is popular with dog owners and a haven for songbirds.

The intersection is in a wooded area, interrupted by graffiti-covered barriers and a railway embankment. Industrial buildings can be seen in the distance.

Broden and his mother were a familiar sight along the wide road, said a St. Albert man who passed by the site on Thursday.

“We’ve seen her here before – the mother with the bike and the dog,” he said.

“We walk the kids here all the time. People walk their dogs here all the time, there are trails everywhere.”

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Broden’s mother, who was at the scene Wednesday afternoon, told Postmedia that the couple regularly walked their pit bull in the area and knew the attacker slightly.

She believed the attack was triggered by a psychological episode.

She said her son was running behind her when the attack occurred.

On Thursday, Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said St. Albert RCMP have had no contact with the suspect in the past six months.

Large circle of friends

Broden Radomske played hockey at St. Albert and basketball at his school during the 2023-2024 season.

He has many friends in the St. Albert school community, said district spokeswoman Paula Power.

“He had a large circle of friends, so (the loss) has affected many of our students and many members of the community,” Power said.

The district has offered counseling services at the schools it visited and help is available to those grieving if needed, she said.

“Our staff is keeping an eye on the students and their families because many of their families also knew Broden. So it goes pretty far,” she said.

A memory book of his school days will be compiled for the family, she said.

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“He was very popular and had a great sense of humor,” she said.

“One of the teachers told me that Broden always had a twinkle in his eye. He was just such a young man,” she said.

Burnt out homeless camp nearby

It’s a troubled corner.

Earlier this week, a nearby homeless camp burned to the ground.

On one side of the entrance to the closed road, yellow barrier tape was attached to the lilac bushes of a long-abandoned driveway, which was then torn down again.

Behind the trees and a concrete barrier and out of sight, under evergreens, someone had built a makeshift shelter out of old corrugated iron and wooden pallets that had at least survived the last winter.

The 2.44 x 2.44 meter building was burned to the ground this week, said the man who spoke to Postmedia at the scene.

“It was a completely finished house with a stove made of pallets and stuff,” the man said.

Nearby, bean cans and an old shoe stick out among charred junk, a propane tank and evidence that someone used a fire extinguisher. The trees in the center of the building were not burned.

“I told a City of Edmonton employee about this here before winter,” he said.

“Nobody did anything about it.”

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