(Warning: The following story concerns a potential victim of domestic violence and may be upsetting to some readers. For those who have been impacted by domestic or gender-based violence, supports are available here.)
The brother of Ania Kaminski, who was murdered by her husband on Dec. 29, described her as one of the most amazing human beings in the world.
“She was such a caring mother for her children,” Peter Wardzala said, in a New Year’s Day interview with CTV News. “She was an unbelievable daughter to my mom and my dad. She was an amazing sister to me.
“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be the man I am today,” he said. “She helped me a lot in my life. Without her I was lost.”
Sunday killings
Around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, police were called to a home in the 0 to 100 block of Kincora Grove N.W. in Calgary.
Officers found a man in his 70s — Peter and Ania’s father Stanislaw Wardzala — dead.
As police investigated, a second victim, Ania, was found dead in a home at 11:15 p.m. in the 300 block of Tuscany Ridge Heights N.W.
Calgary police are investigating the death of a man in his 70s and a woman in her 30s, both believed to be victims of a domestic-related homicide on Dec. 29, 2024.
Police say the killer was Benedict Kaminski, Ania’s husband and Stanislaw’s son-in-law.
An emergency alert was issued Monday afternoon for Benedict, whose body was discovered later Monday afternoon.
Benedict Kaminski, 38, is seen in an undated photo. (Supplied/Calgary Police)
Police said both Sunday deaths are believed to be targeted and domestic in nature.
Shattering event
Three days later, Peter tried to make sense of the shattering event. He has taken in the family’s three children, who are six, four and two years old, and his mother and says he plans to raise them.
He said that a Christmas family fight involving Benedict was the final straw for Ania, who planned to leave the marriage.
“Every family has arguments – they fight. but yeah,” he said. “There was a little family argument (on Christmas Day) and she said that was the last straw.
“She said she’s tried for so long,” he added. “The last two years, she tried the hardest for her youngest son Caspar but this drew the line and that was it.”
He described the relationship between his sister and her husband as “rocky” but to the best of his knowledge, it had never been a violent one.
“She comes from an old-school mentality seeing how my mom was with my dad — if you made a commitment with someone to marry, you’re going to stick through thick and thin, and try and make things work,” Wardzala said.
“But I don’t know. Violence? I wouldn’t say violence. But the dude (Benedict) never had respect.
“My sister did everything and I feel it was never good enough,” he said. “If there was any violence, I don’t know because my sister never said anything.”
He said the killing happened because Ania went to the house, where Benedict was staying, to drop off their three children so they could visit their father.
“My sister was just supposed to drop the kids off and come back to our house,” he said, “because obviously these kids were still his kids.
“There was no separation or anything. She was being respectful.”
Overwhelmed by support
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by a family friend that has already raised close to $200,000.
Wardzala said he is overwhelmed by the support he has received from Calgarians, the Polish community, old friends and random strangers who have been reaching out to offer whatever support they can.
“You have no idea how unbelievable the support in Calgary has been and also through our Polish community,” he said.
Peter said his mother and father, who he said worked for Spruce Meadows, moved from Poland to Canada when he and Ania were born to provide a better life for them.
He described his father Stanislaw as “an awesome man.”
“He was an outdoorsman. He used to hunt and camp,” Peter said.
“He just retired – it was this year — because there was problems a few years ago with getting flesh-eating disease. He had multiple strokes in his life. He had back surgery, got his disc removed.
“Still – even after all the things that have gone through his life, he was the most loving, supportive father, husband — and especially grandfather to the three little ones.
“He absolutely loved them.”
‘Scared’
The family’s three kids have moved in with Peter along with his mother.
He said his mother plans to retire from her job to raise the children, while he has a “laid-back” job where he doesn’t work too many days a week.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared when we go home, just me and my mom and the three kids,” Peter said. “It’s just hearbreaking because I don’t know how we’re going to explain this to the kids.”
“Seeing their faces when they’re running around they’re all happy, puts a smile on our faces,, because they’re still kids having fun,” he said, “but what the reality is and me and my mom are gonna do whatever we can to support these kids.”
Haunted
Peter remains haunted by the events that unfolded Sunday night, during the holiday season, when police say incidents of domestic violence skyrocket.
“I feel like maybe I could have done something,” he said.
In retrospect, he offers one piece of advice for anyone concerned that someone they know may be at risk.
“If this ever happens when a parent has to drop off a kid to the other parents house or something like that, please bring somebody else with them,” he said. “Someone else has to be present as a support system as defence, as anything – because you honestly never, never know.”
‘Huge impact’
His sister was an elementary school teacher in the Rockyview County school system, where she taught Grade 1 and Grade 2 students.
“She had a huge impact anywhere she went, whether it was the Polish community, whatever school she was teaching at in the Rockyview area, she would do anything for her children,” he said.
“She was the most caring, loving mother in the world,” he added. “She was never ever upset at anything. If she had problems, she wouldn’t show it.
“She was always just such a positive, charismatic person – and super strong. A very, very strong woman.”
Autopsies for both are scheduled for Friday.
For more information about the GoFundMe campaign, go here.
For more information about domestic violence supports in Calgary, go here.
With files from CTV’s Michael Franklin and Damien Wood and Mason Depatie