Daughter of man found dead in Edmonton alley speaks out as accused seeks bail

A security guard accused of kicking an Edmonton man to death and then robbing him will find out next week if he will be released on bail.

A Court of Queen's Bench judge will hand down his ruling next Tuesday, after reviewing the bail of Sheldon Russell Bentley.

Bentley, 35, is charged with the manslaughter and robbery of Donald Doucette, who was discovered in an alley outside the Lucky 97 grocery store in the afternoon of July 31, 2016.

Doucette had earlier passed out in the alley in the area of 107th Avenue and 97th Street before being approached by two security guards, police say.

Police say one of the guards kicked the 51-year-old, stole $20 from him and then went back to work.

Bentley was arrested shortly after and has been in custody ever since.

Doucette's daughter had to leave the courtroom briefly to gather herself during a hearing Tuesday.

"It's extremely painful," said Tianna Doucette. "He was a good man, he was trying to get better."

It was a deep-rooted alcohol addiction that led her father to be so vulnerable and asleep in an alley in the first place, said Doucette, 23.

A problem she remembers began when Doucette's own father died years ago.

"It kind of started spiralling out of control and that's what happens when you struggle with alcohol," she said.

Nonetheless, prior to his death, Tianna Doucette said her dad was trying to make changes by going to Alcoholics Anonymous as well as entering a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.

He was a really funny guy, super outgoing- Tianna Doucette

In spite of his efforts to turn things around, she remained anxious about him, in part because of his additional struggle with epilepsy.

"I always worried, you know, is he going to fall down somewhere and have a seizure?" she said.

Still, she never expected to hear her dad had been killed in a back alley in Edmonton's inner-city.

An autopsy at the time revealed he died from blunt abdominal trauma.

But in spite of the terrible way his life ended, Doucette said she will always remember her dad as a kind man who cared about his family and friends.

"He was a really really funny guy, super outgoing," she said. "He was a culinary chef, he worked in camps, he loved cooking, he loved playing cards. He was generally just an easy going person."

Donald Doucette, born in Edmonton, had two brothers and a sister, although one of his brothers recently passed away.

As difficult as it is for her to follow the process in court and relive the torment she feels, Doucette said she feels it's her duty.

"It helps bring closure," she said.