Dougald Miller, man beaten into vegetative state 16 years ago, dies

Dougald Miller, the man beaten into a vegetative state16 years ago by Leo Teskey, died in the arms of his loving wife Saturday.

'Today, I don't know if I'm coming or going," said Lesley Miller.

"It's been a long battle,almost 16 years, Dougald was ready to go. He was having too many illnesses and he was tired," said Miller.

Miller said her husband was suffering from internal bleeding and pneumonia. Last week, she decided that instead of putting her husband through more medical tests she would just make him comfortable.

"It was so quick it was Wednesday and he died last night. I was there from nine o'clock in the morning yesterday and I held him all day and spoke to him and I read some poetry to him," said Miller.

"I knew he was going, I knew he was going and I told him 'If you want to go, just let go.' I stayed right to the end and held him, I was with him, talking to him, when he had his last breath.

"Soat least he was not on his own."

I knew he was going, I knew he was going and I told him 'If you want to go, just let go.'I stayed right to the end and held him.- Lesley Miller,

In 2000, Dougald Miller found Teskey sleeping in the hallway of an apartment building and tried to get him to leave. In response, Teskey assaulted Miller to the point he was left brain-damaged and permanently paralyzed from the neck down.

Teskey had37 prior convictions, including one for assaulting a two-year-old boy and another for shooting a police officer in the head.

"I blame the governments, I blame the Alberta government and the federal government because they should've locked that SOB up when he shot that policeman.

"He's vile that man, just evil."

Since the attack, Miller made it her mission to attend every court proceeding involving the man who attacked her husband.

In 2010 Teskeywasdesignated a violent offender, and in2014, the Alberta Court of Appealturned down a request to remove his dangerous offender designation.

Such a good, good man. A good husband, a good person, he didn't deserve this.- Lesley Miller

Dangerous offenders can beincarcerated indefinitely.

But, at the moment, none of that matters to Lesley Miller. All that matters to her is the fact that her best friend is gone.

"I know I'm being selfish but at least I could go out there and visit with him and talk to him and touch him and now he is gone, and it was so needless. That man took his life 16 years ago and it took mine as well.

"Such a good, good man. A good husband, a good person, he didn't deserve this."