Parole Board Rejects Day Release for 2020 Killing
A Canadian parole authority has denied day parole for a 36-year-old woman from Clearwater who shot and killed her common-law husband during a 2020 camping trip near Vavenby and later asked their child to help move his body, court records show. She was serving a 10-year manslaughter sentence after her conviction at the Kamloops Law Courts in 2023.
The Parole Board of Canada ruled in late November that releasing her on day parole would present an undue risk to public safety and noted concerns about her behaviour and accountability while incarcerated.
Details of Crime Highlighted in Hearing
The killing occurred during a camping trip in September 2020. The board’s decision notes she and her husband had been drinking when she became upset by a comment he made, retrieved a shotgun and shot him at close range. He died immediately, and she then stomped on his head. Afterward she called emergency services and falsely claimed her spouse had shot himself. She also asked one of her children to help move the body before leaving the site with her children.
Parole Board’s Concerns About Accountability
In explaining its decision, the board said she continues to minimise and shift responsibility for the killing, even now calling the incident an “accident.” The panel cited a pattern of denying responsibility and attributing blame to others, which it said raised concerns about her insight and risk to the community.
The board also referenced alleged institutional rule breaches involving contraband and brewing activities in custody, although she has denied those allegations.
Release Plan Not Enough to Offset Risk
She had proposed a two-stage release plan that included residential treatment for substance issues and supervised living near elderly family members, but the board concluded that positive factors did not outweigh the ongoing concerns about her risk level. The Parole Board said she needs to show consistent, sustained behavioural change before day parole could be considered.
She remains eligible for statutory release in 2028 and her sentence will expire in 2031.
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