Andretti a 'very evil man,' says Winnipeg murder victim's cousin

Myrna Letandre's family said they aredisgusted the man accused of killing her was laughing during a court appearance.

• Traigo Andretti laughs during Letandre murder hearing

"This guy looking at the family members and basically laughing at them as they broke down in court, so disrespectful," said Derrick Gould, one of Letandres cousins. "I can only define him as a very, very evil man."

TraigoAndretti, the 38-year-old accused of killingLetandreeight years ago,laughed in front of the victim's family as he tried to plead guilty to second-degree murderMonday.

"I was very upset to hear what happened in court, just mind-boggling," said Gould."What goes through a person's head like his?"

Andrettiis already serving a life-sentence for killing and dismembering his wife in British Columbia. He was charged in the Winnipeg murder while in jail in B.C., and was brought back to the Winnipeg in June this yearto face charges of killing MyrnaLetandrein 2006.

Letandrea 'quiet person'

Gould remembers Letandreas a "very nice ... quiet person."

"Myrna was a very, very nice person," said Gould."She always greeted you with a smile and she always had great things to say [made] everybody laugh around her."

Gould said the family has experienced a sense of closure in knowing what happened toLetandre, but they struggled for a long time with the uncertainty.

"It's unfortunate she went missing. We were wondering where she went," said Gould."We were thinking she went west and just needed to call home and that call just never came."

Letandre was quiet and kept to herself in her younger years, said Gould.

"But once you got to know her she was a very beautiful girl."

Andretti has refused to meet with a lawyer several times and told the judge he wanted to plead guilty.

Andretti is scheduled to formally enter a guilty plea Sept. 10.