Surrey still in mourning over unsolved murder of aspiring model

Maple Batalia was shot to death outside SFU’s Surrey campus one year ago. Submitted photo

LARISSA CAHUTE
VANCOUVER DESI

It’s been a year since Maple Batalia was shot to death, but for her family, it’s as if the nightmare was only yesterday.

“It just feels like it hasn’t really been a year,” her sister, Roseleen Batalia, said from her family’s Surrey home. “We just feel the way we did the day it happened.

“Time just keeps kind of passing by, but the emotions and feelings are just as strong.”

Maple, third child of Harry and Sarbjit Batalia, loved acting, modelling and drawing. She was a student at Simon Fraser University.

When the 19-year-old girl left SFU’s Surrey campus after a late night of studying for midterms on Sept. 28, 2011, she was shot to death in a parkade metres from the school’s entrance.

“To have someone just taken away like that — just ripped away from you — it angers you and makes you feel alone,” said Roseleen, fighting back tears.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is still working on the case, but has yet to make any arrests or narrow down a suspect.

“We’re suffering every day, not knowing. For that person to be out there and be free and my sister will never come back — it’s just not right,” said Roseleen.

“We’re just praying that justice is served and we’re not waiting years and years … to see them behind bars.”

For Harry Batalia, it’s made for a “very difficult” year. He has trouble sleeping, finding himself awake most nights missing his “remarkable” daughter.

“Her memories will be with us forever … we’ll always love our angel,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “We might ease up a little after getting the justice, but we will never see her again.”

The Batalias continue to reach out to their community, searching for anyone who may have been there that night, or even near the parkade.

The family has set up two scholarship memorial funds — one for studying the arts and another for health sciences — to help young girls like Maple.

“Things like that make us feel like our life … has some sort of purpose,” said Roseleen.

Because in reality, there’s no way for the family to “normalize” their lives.

“I know Maple is never [coming] back,” her mother Sarbjit said quietly.

It is a reality they must face each and every day.

“There’s no real way of making it easier,” said Roseleen. “Until you have closure – you can’t start healing.”

The upset is still felt throughout the community, as well.

“They’re worried about their kids,” said Roseleen. “It just draws that, ‘Oh my God, this could happen to anyone.’”

“Just a young innocent person that was doing good things in their community to be taken away,” she said. “It’s just disgusting to think that someone did that to an unarmed person … she was just walking to her car.”

To mark one year since Maple’s death, the Batalias will be at the SFU Surrey campus Friday for the release of Thy Beauty’s Doom, a documentary about Maple and her artwork, followed by a candlelight vigil in Holland Park at 7 p.m.

Roseleen said the vigil is intended “to remind everyone that we’re still peacefully waiting for justice,” and to ensure that Maple is “remembered and honoured in the way that she definitely deserves to be.”

“Don’t forget her,” Sarbjit whispered.

Tags: Maple Batalia, murder, Simon Fraser University, Surrey

Sid says:

October 5, 2012 at 1:43 am

Wow Brandon you exemplify ignorant idiot redneck. You are a fool for making comments like that.

Youareafool says:

September 27, 2012 at 8:32 pm

That is absolutely disgusting. Maple was an innocent girl and if you speak to anyone in the community you will know what a remarkable person she was. Shame on you, you are no better than them “lose dippers”.

nobaddays68 says:

September 27, 2012 at 6:07 pm

Brandon your a piece of work. Your comments speak volumes about your lack of intelligence.

Brandon Tanner says:

September 27, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Maybe she shouldn’t be hanging out with lose dippers and she would have been fine.

Ricky says:

September 27, 2012 at 4:00 pm

^^ You’re an idiot

Devin F says:

September 27, 2012 at 4:36 pm

are you kidding me? your disgusting

Sunny says:

September 28, 2012 at 10:46 am

What the hell does that even mean?