Brady Francis' mother pleads for hit-and-run driver to come forward in emotional video
Gail Harding | CBC News | Posted: April 6, 2018 11:53 PM | Last Updated: April 6, 2018
Justice for Brady rally to be held in Moncton Saturday
The day after RCMP closed a section of road in Saint-Charles to continue the investigation into the hit and run death of Brady Francis, his mother posted an emotional plea for the person responsible to come forward.
In a Facebook video viewed more than 7,000 times, Jessica Perley speaks directly to the camera during a three-minute message.
"What kind of heart do you have? Do you have feelings?" Perley asked in the message, posted Friday.
"To all your friends and your family, you must be good people right. Well, show them. Prove them you are a good person."
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Francis, 22, was struck and killed by a vehicle in Saint-Charles more than a month ago. No charges have been laid.
Perley, of the Elsipogtog First Nation, calls on the person responsible to come forward and ignore a lawyer's advice to remain silent.
"You as a human being, you know what's right. It's ultimately your decision what you want to say.
"And if you are a good person, you'll feel it in your heart," Perley said as she pointed to the computer. "You'll feel it in your heart and you'll say what needs to be said."
Perley said the only thing that would stop the person responsible for her son's death from speaking would be fear and worry.
'Truth will set you free'
She said the only cure for those feelings is the truth.
"The truth will set you free. Free from your tortured mind."
As she held up a picture of her son, Perley said, "The point here is our son — that's our son — he was left for dead on the road. Our son is no longer alive. His future is dead.
"That is the pain we have to live with. What is your pain?"
Francis was killed around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 while waiting for a drive along the St-Charles Sud Road, about 100 kilometres north of Moncton.
He was found injured on the side of the road and died at the scene, RCMP have said.
As the video ends, Perley again asks if the person responsible for her son's death if they have any feelings. "Do you have a heart? And are you the good person your family and friends believe you to be? That's it."
RCMP continue investigation
A rally calling for #JusticeforBrady is being held Saturday at 1 p.m.in front of Moncton City Hall. Organizers of the weekend rally are calling for the driver who struck Francis to turn themselves in, or for police to make an arrest.
On March 20, Richibucto RCMP released photos of a grey 2003 GMC Sierra 4 X 4 pickup truck suspected of being involved in the collision.
They asked anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the hours leading up to the crash to contact them.
While RCMP know who the truck belongs to, identifying the driver at the time of the collision is "part of the ongoing investigation," said Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh, media relations officer for the RCMP in New Brunswick.
"Our investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened that night on Feb. 24, and ultimately who is responsible."