Canadian True Crime - Case Updates & Feedback: 2021 [2]

Episode Date: August 1, 2021

Podcast recommendation:CBC's The Village - Season 2Order of cases covered:Alloura Wells / Toronto's Gay VillageEzekiel StephanRichard OlandThe DonnellysLoretta SaundersSara & TaliyahThe Brentwood Five (Calgary Stabbings)Erin ChorneyMichelle BarnoskiReena VirkPaul Bernardo-----------------------------------------------------Thanks for supporting our sponsors!See the special offer codes here Access the ad-free extended versionOn Patreon or Supercast. Learn more-----------------------------------------------------Credits: Research: Enya BestAudio editing and production: We Talk of DreamsMusic: Kai Engel - Mare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi friends, I'm back again with the case updates episode part two. Today, I'll be going over significant updates to all the other cases the show covered before 2020, like Richard Olland, Allura Wells, Ezekiel Stephan, Aaron Chorney and more, plus a report about Paul Bernardo's latest parole hearing, which just happened in June. Again, if you're a supporter on Patreon or Supercast, make sure you're listening to the ad-free version right now because it is a slightly extended version. And as always, see the show notes for the list of things I'll be talking about today. Episode 72, The Death of Allura Wells.

Alura was the 27-year-old trans woman who ended up experiencing homelessness in Toronto. As you'll remember, her remains were found by a hiker and she wasn't identified for a few months and ended up being grouped in with the people who disappeared from Toronto's gay village, which led to the arrest of serial killer Bruce MacArthur. Now, Allura wasn't one of his victims, and it's still unknown how she died, but her case and the botched-up missing persons investigation really highlighted how some missing person's cases have been treated by Toronto police, particularly those involving vulnerable groups like the LGBTQ plus community or racialized people, and Alura was both.

Now, there haven't been any updates on this case per se, but as a result of this snowball, which involved this case, which led to the arrest of Bruce MacArthur, an independent review was ordered to examine exactly how the Toronto Police Force handled these missing persons cases. Former Judge Gloria Epstein conducted the review and released her report in April of this year, finding that there were serious flaws in how Toronto Police handled these cases. cases and stating that they could have done better. She referred to the fact that men of colour had been going missing from the gay village for a while, but the police really only took it seriously when the friends and loved ones of Andrew Kinsman, MacArthur's only victim who

was white, started getting louder in their request for action. The former judge noted that proper missing persons investigations should not depend on whose voices are the loudest or most empowered in sounding the alarm. She identified issues like a lack of communication on several different levels, including communication within the police service, but also within the community, with an often unnecessary amount of secrecy that damaged public trust. Some police officers were found to have had misconceptions or stereotypical ideas about the LGBTQ plus community. Investigations were inconsistent, basic investigative steps were overlooked or delayed, and searches for missing people were described as often

disorganized, incomplete, or poorly documented. And for Alora Wells, all of these things did come into play. In response to the report, the Police Services Board said they accepted the findings and are committed to implementing the 151 recommendations made on how to improve missing persons' investigations in the future, which included triaging cases to appropriate social agencies. instead of the police, like social workers or civilian services. It was also recommended that they centralised the missing persons unit, double the amount of investigators and more. Interim Toronto Police Chief James Raymer called the issues inexcusable

and vowed to act on every one of the recommendations. He also apologised on behalf of statements that police made, including former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, denying the possibility that a serial killer was preying on Toronto's gay village when clearly there was. Quote, we know that many in Toronto's LGBT2S plus communities felt and still feel that our communications deepened a sense of mistrust between us. That was not the service's intention and we apologize for the anger, hurt and damage that caused. In other news, CBC podcast, The Village has just released the second season, which focuses on Alora Wells, as well as Cassandra Doe, another trans woman who died in

equally mysterious circumstances in the same period. Journalist Justin Ling hosts again with interviews with the loved ones of these two women. So that's Season 2 of The Village from CBC Podcasts. Episode 67, 68 and 69. The Death of Ezekiel Stephan. So this was the case of the Todd who had meningitis with two weeks of on and off symptoms, including being stiff and lethargic and showing odd neurological symptoms.

His parents said they ummed and arred about whether to get medical attention for him, ultimately deciding not to until the decision was taken out of their hands when he stopped breathing. And tragically, after they called 911, the ambulance that came to get him was not stocked with the proper equipment needed to help him breathe again. So Ezekiel was already not breathing and then went without oxygen for at least another eight minutes in the ambulance. And as you know, he was kept on life support for a number of days before being declared brain dead and his life support switched off. At trial, his parents, David and Colette Stephan insisted they did their due diligence when making the decision not to have Ezekiel seen by a medical doctor. They said they used the information they had at the time.

Colette had googled meningitis and knew about the two different kinds, bacterial and viral, but decided that the kind Ezekiel had was viral, which is less serious. The prosecution argued that if they had have gotten medical attention for Ezekiel before he stopped breathing, he probably would be alive today. The Stephens argued that Alberta Health Sciences stuffed up by sending an understocked ambulance and when they realized their error, they tried to cover it up. It was a long three-part series, but a quick overview of where we got up to to get you back to speed

because there was a lot of stuff. As you remember, David and Colette Stephan had been found guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life to Ezekiel. Then they appealed and were given a new trial, and then they were acquitted. But here's where things took a different turn. As you'll remember, the crowns, key witness was Dr. Barme Dali A. Dajapbo, the Nigerian-born medical examiner who conducted

the autopsy on Ezekiel Stephan and determined that he had life-threatening bacterial meningitis. This testimony was obviously bad news for the Steffen camp. So they managed to find their own forensic pathologist, Dr. Annie Savaggio, who testified that she didn't examine Ezekiel but reviewed the report, and her determination was that he had the less severe viral meningitis and died of lack of oxygen. So therefore, his parents can't be held responsible for his death. Now here's where it gets controversial. Or should I say here's another area where it gets controversial. The trial judge, Justice Terry Clarkson, sided with Dr. Annie Savaggio's version of events. And in his explanation, he essentially dismissed Dr. Ardaicbo's testimony because the

doctor spoke with an accent. The judge complained about garbled enunciation, among other things. David and Colette Stephan were acquitted, but Justice Claxon's comments about Dr. Ardaeakbo drew major criticism and dozens of medical and legal experts filed a complaint, saying that the judge's opinion of the way Dr. Ardaeakbo spoke resulted in bias against his valid testimony. The Crown announced that was going to appeal the acquittal. Now, that appeal hearing was held last year, and where we left off, we were waiting on the panel of court judges to return with a decision on whether David and Collette Steffen will have their acquittal overturned.

Now, in March of this year, 2021, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled in the Crown's favour, saying that Justice Claxton did make errors that may have led to bias and stating the that you can't weigh evidence or determine its admissibility based on how someone speaks. Quote, it is inappropriate to disparage witnesses for their pattern of speech, accents, or less than perfect command of one of Canada's official languages. All who come in contact with our justice system must be treated with respect and dignity and on a fair and equal basis. And with that, a third trial was ordered for David and Colette Stephan,

for failing to provide the necessaries of life for Ezekiel. Obviously, because they had been acquitted, they were not happy about this news. Now, in the meantime, more information has come out about Dr. Ardaakbo that has unfortunately muddied the already muddy waters even more. In May of 2020, he was charged with impaired driving causing serious bodily injury after seriously injuring a woman in a crash in the US. He admitted he'd had a couple of drinks and recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.112. 0.08 is the limit to drive.

Now, while this news is not good news, and I certainly hope that the poor woman he hit has made a full recovery by now, we do have to ask what do these charges have to do with the doctor's findings and testimony about Ezekiel Stephan, as it relates to the prospect of a third trial. The consensus of legal experts is that it could impact his credibility because any witness at trial who is also facing outstanding criminal charges in another matter could be asked questions about those charges on the stand. But if the charges aren't related to a crime involving lying or dishonesty, like fraud, for example, which could throw shade on the potential truth of his testimony about Ezekiel,

then lawyers would need to show why it's relevant. One way that it could be relevant is if the allegations are close in time to the events that he would be testifying about. But since Ezekiel's autopsy was in 2012, and this intoxicated car crash wasn't until 2020, the relevance is arguably low. And another route might be if he'd previously admitted to having a long-standing substance abuse problem, so one that might have affected his judgment as he was performing Ezekiel's autopsy. But CBC reported there was no evidence to suggest that this was an issue. So, from my layman's perspective, I see no relevance between this news and Dr. Ardaicbo's autopsy findings. But the Stefan Kemp do.

They have posted updates about the doctor to their Facebook page, along with snarky comments insinuating that he must have been drunk on the stand when he testified, and that accounted for his garbored speech. Garballed being one of the words that Justice Claxon used that drew complaints. The Stephens also alleged that the doctor falsified Ezekiel's autopsy as well as others that he conducted and is also a part of the whole government conspiracy involving Alberta Health Services. So their next court date was supposed to be at the end of June 2021. But the Crown unexpectedly announced that they'd decided to drop the charges, giving the reason that it would have been more than nine years since Ezekiel passed away

and the available evidence had deteriorated since the two trials, resulting in it no longer being sufficient for prosecution. So basically, they no longer had a reasonable likelihood of conviction. It was no longer worth it. The Stephens and their supporters believe that this sudden turn was because of the news about Dr. R. Diochbo, because he was such an important crown witness. So there will be no third trial, it's over.

End of the line. But David Stephan told the national press that it's too early to celebrate for them because they're still moving forward on a separate Supreme Court appeal that they hope will result in a clarification of the law so that other parents don't face the type of uncertainty that they've been facing. David also said he plans to request that he be repaid for the money he spent on all of his court costs over the years. As David Stephan wrote in his latest journal entry, quote,

In a country that was once highly esteemed for its freedom, we should not so easily allow the establishment to undermine our parental rights and freedom of medical choice. Lastly, let us not forget that by ensuring that they had the proper equipment to easily save Ezekiel Stefan's life, had the medical system acted responsibly in the first place, this case would not be before the courts today. My opinion, again, is that absolutely it was a tragedy that the ambulance was not kitted with the right equipment for a child. But in a perfect world, that ambulance never should have been called in the first place

because Ezekiel would have been under proper medical care well before he had those neurological symptoms, before his back started arching, before he was so stiff that he couldn't get into his car seat. Instead, his parents waited until he'd actually stopped breathing before he was. seeking medical attention. And to be clear, David Stephan going to jail for this is not an outcome that I wanted, that's for sure. It wouldn't have helped anything. They have four other children who lost a sibling and need their parents. They need to get on with their life. So for the sake of the children, I hope that this will be the last we hear about this for a very long time. Rest in peace,

Ezekiel. After the break, updates on Richard Olland, the Donnellys, Loretta Saunders and Sarah Bailey and Talia Marsman. Episode 60 to 62. The murder of Richard Olland. This was the very complicated and confusing case of prominent New Brunswick businessman Richard Olland, whose personal assistant found his body in his office when she arrived for work one morning in 2011. He'd been bludgeoned to death. There was blood everywhere, and because the police bungled up the investigation and may have contaminated the crime scene, things ended up with more questions than answers. Richard's son, Dennis, was a person of interest because of some suspicious circumstances. He was tried for the murder and ended up being acquitted.

July the 7th, 2021 was the 10-year anniversary of Richard Olin's murder, and there is still so much mystery around this case with a few interesting updates. Now, originally, I formed the opinion that while none of us can say for sure that Dennis Olin didn't do it, when I weighed the evidence up, logically I concluded that there was far more to say he didn't do it than he did. There was simply not enough evidence for a guilty verdict, in my opinion. But in last year's case update, I told you some new information that came in, and today I'll be building on that. The domestic action that had been launched against Dennis Olland by his wife, Lisa Andrick Olland. Now, this originally threw me off because she'd always been seen publicly by his side during

his court battle, holding his hands and smiling as he left court, captured in photos by the press. This really goes to show that what you see isn't necessarily what's going on behind the scenes. So here's what happened with Dennis and his now estranged wife Lisa. He was acquitted of the murder of his father in July of 2019, and the couple separated about six months after that in the early months of 2020. Dennis moved out of the marital home they shared, the big estate home they lived in that featured prominently in the trial, and he moved in with his mother, Connie. Lisa's complaint detailed that she was concerned that Dennis was going to sell their house without her knowledge or consent, even though she had tried to encourage mediation. She said she lost everything over the course of their relationship.

She hasn't been employed for several years because of personal illness and she even took on debt to help Dennis, who's reported a very low income since 2017. And Lisa also submitted that domestic violence complaint about Dennis, but at first the details were sealed under publication ban. And obviously, with the high-end, profile nature of the case, this particular piece of information was of great interest to the media, and a judge made the decision to lift the publication ban and allow details of the complaint

to be published. The caveat was that they had to wait 14 days to give Lisa's legal team time to appeal if they wanted to. They did. CBC News reported that in the appeal, Lisa said that she made the domestic violence complaint after fearing for her safety, and she was, was assured that the information she shared would be kept confidential. She added that if she had have known her personal privacy would be violated by the media, she might not have come forward, and feared that the public release of the information would only re-victimise her and prevent other victims from coming forward. The media again waited as an appeal decision came down. The publication ban was lifted with the decision stating that it violated the open court principle.

And in May of 2021, the media published the details that Lisa, the survivor, did not want in the public domain. Now, because I am not the media, I'm not reporting on the news, I can make a judgment call to respect her wishes in this update and so we won't be going into detail about what happened. What I will say is that Lisa alleged she had suffered historic abuse and control at Dennis Olin's hands, including physical assaults, threats and financial and emotional abuse. Now, a really disturbing thing that came out when the publication ban was lifted was that in the lead-up to that second trial, Dennis physically assaulted his wife in a Toronto hotel room. We won't go into details about this, but this incident was reported to police.

but not by Lisa. The assault was heard by the people staying in the next hotel room and they called the police. In Lisa's eventual filing, which was around two years after that incident, she said that she did not want the police involved because this assault happened in the lead-up to the second trial and she didn't want anything to come out that might hinder Dennis's chances. So when the police came to the hotel room door, she told them that everything was okay. Now, sadly, this wasn't the only assault she endured and told police about in her complaint. The details are shocking and humiliating and I can see why she didn't want them out in public. She stated that she is afraid of Dennis Oland.

And I notice that even in reporting these details, Lisa is quite empathetic towards Dennis in the way that she writes. She infers that his abusive behavior was caused by the stress and mental illness he was dealing with as a result of his father's death and the trial process. I'll have something to say about that in a second. Now, after this physical assault information came to light, many people started asking questions. If Lisa had to have registered a complaint about the hotel room assault, would that have affected the outcome of his second trial? Legal experts seem to be of the opinion that while it likely would have resulted in intense media coverage and public interest,

it probably wouldn't have affected the trial outcome since Dennis's assault on his wife in 2019 had no direct link to Richard Olin's murder eight years earlier. Kind of similar to the thing with Dr. Adiakbo. And while people started asking if Dennis should be charged now two years later, experts seem to think that the police likely aren't motivated at this point, although they didn't rule it out. So, there we go, although I should add that Lisa's allegations are currently unproven in court. Now, as I said last year, none of this issue that has come out about Dennis Olland and his marriage has anything to do with his father's death. But it really does add an interesting layer to the case and add more detail in the bewildering puzzle that is Dennis Olin's personality.

Now, before all of this came out, he appeared to be a mild-mannered man with a wife who stood by him in a very public way, through years and years of court proceedings, even as her own life clearly suffered. And I weighed her support as adding credibility to his story. But now that we've learned she stood by him, even as he physically assaulted her and controlled her, because he had somehow led or allowed her to believe that his chance at a fair trial was more important than her. physical safety and mental health. Essentially, in the marriage, he had established that he was more important than she was. Now, I've spoken about the cycle of abuse before. Step one is when the tension builds. Step two is the incident of abuse. Step three is reconciliation and then step four is

calm, love bombing before the tension starts building again, rinse and repeat. This could be what was happening in this relationship. So now the image of the wife who steadfastly stands by her husband has been replaced by one where the wife could well be a victim under his control. I really feel for her and I hope that she's able to find some peace because she sure does deserve it after all these years. So while these new revelations that have come out might not be relevant in a legal sense and speculation on what might be going on isn't helpful to anyone, this new information really gave me pause to re-evaluate what I thought Dennis Olland might or might not be capable of.

Episode 59, The Donnellys. This episode about the historic family widely known as the Black Donnellys was written by Toronto true crime author Nate Henley based on his book called The Black Donnellys, the outrageous tale of Canada's deadliest feud. As you remember, it was about a violent feud involving an Irish immigrant family in 1880 that resulted in a mob storming their homestead and killing five of them. But between Nate writing his book in 2004 and the episode being released,

there has been some controversy stirred up. As it turns out, the descendants of the author of the first book written on the case, which was in 1954, seemed to have a beef to grind with other authors. authors of books about the case. They don't like people using the name Black Donnellys. In fact, they don't seem to like anyone else covering the case. And so a strange legal battle ensued about Nate Henley's Donnelly's book. And I'm pleased to report that the issue was resolved in Nate's favor in late May of this year. But apparently, the descendants are still trying to copyright the phrase Black Donnellys. And even though evidence exists that the name was

used well before the author of the 1954 book used it, I won't be changing the name of my episode any time soon. Episode 56, the murder of Loretta Saunders. Loretta was the pregnant 26-year-old Inuk woman living in Nova Scotia, who was passionate about raising awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. She had sublet her apartment to a couple called Blake and Victoria, but they didn't pay their rent. After trying to get hold of them by phone, Loretta went to her apartment to ask for the rent in person, but instead she was attacked from behind, suffocated to death and stuffed in a

hockey bag and dumped off the highway. The couple stole her car and bank cards and drove to Ontario where they were apprehended. Blake Leggett and Victoria Heneberry pleaded guilty and were both sentenced to life imprisonment. Blake attacked Loretta so he got first-degree murder, with 25 years before parole eligibility, but Victoria, who egged Blake on and watched and helped, got second-degree murder and was eligible for parole after 10 years. She has continuously been assessed as not appreciating the impact of her actions and also hasn't shown genuine remorse, and then she went to appeal her conviction, claiming that she was coerced into pleading guilty. Her case was weak, she didn't have evidence to back up her claims,

and the appeal was dismissed. Now in last year's case update, I told you that Victoria had claimed Indigenous status, American Cherokee from her mother's side, and had applied for escorted temporary absences from prison to access Indigenous healing services. The Parole Board noted that she was put in foster care at a young age and wasn't actually raised in indigenous culture and has no knowledge of her history or culture. So there is a disconnect in her trying to access those specific healing services when she hasn't lived the culture. The decision read, quote, you have no knowledge of where they resided or if any of your family members had any experience with the residential school system, the 60 scoop or a history of self-harm or suicide. Additionally, a number of sub-reiberation. Additionally, a number of

submissions had been presented from the community that opposed Victoria's claim to Indigenous heritage and access to related resources. Her request was denied. Now in November of 2020, the parole board ended up granting Victoria visitation passes to attend other programs not offered in the prison where she's serving her sentence. The board said that her behaviour in prison has shown steady improvement and that's why she's now in minimum security. But they added that at times she still showed an unrealistic sense of entitlement. For example, she doesn't believe she deserved prison time and she believes she'll automatically be released as soon as she's eligible. Obviously, in light of this, the family of Loretta Saunders were not happy with the decision to grant

Victoria the Passes. In February of 2021, she applied for day parole by, was denied. The board said that while she tried to show remorse, it was without emotion. She still had issues with transparency and her motives were suspected as being self-serving. The board said that Hennaberry needs to take responsibility for what she did and that her actions caused profound emotional harm and has had a long-lasting impact on the Saunders family. She remains in prison. Episode 45, Sarah and Talia. Sarah Bailey and her five-year-old daughter Talia Marsman were brutally murdered by Edward Downey in Alberta in 2016.

Now as it turns out, he was the boyfriend of Sarah's best friend. It was an allegedly abusive relationship and because Sarah was trying to help her friend get out of it, he harboured ill will towards her. Edward Downey killed Sarah and her little daughter Talia. Now Downey was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, meaning he'll be 96 years old when he can apply for parole. The judge said he had no remorse after killing the mother and her young daughter. Now last year, I said that Sarah and Talia's family can breathe a sigh of relief that they likely won't ever have to attend a parole hearing.

But the update is that sadly, that sigh of relief didn't like that. last for long. Edward Downey appealed his conviction, arguing that the jury heard too much detail about his bad character conduct, specifically his involvement as a, quote, pimp in the escorting business, a detail that ended up setting the tone for the trial. His lawyer described it as highly prejudicial evidence that undermined the fairness of the trial. But the court of appeal did not agree, saying that the jury was entitled to draw its own conclusion. and the instructions they received were fine. The appeal was denied and Edward Downey will have no new trial.

Janet Freedette, Sarah Bailey's mother and Talia's grandmother, told Global News the latest decision from court was wonderful and said after nearly five years they can finally begin to put the pain behind them. After the break, updates on the Brentwood 5, Erin Chorney, Michelle Barnoski, Rina Verk and Paul Bernardo. Episode 44, the Brentwood 5. This was the tragic case of the college house party in Calgary, a night where five young people lost their lives.

Zachariah Rathwell, Jordan Seguer, Josh Hunter, Katie Perris, and Lawrence Hong. They were attacked and stabbed at the end of the party by Matthew de Groot, who was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was in an episode where he believed he was the son of God and that he was being hunted by monsters. He was given the label of not criminally responsible due to mental illness, or NCR, a defense which hinges on the offender being in a state where they weren't able to understand that their actions were wrong. Matthew de Groot has since been in a facility and has been applying for all privileges and freedoms as soon as he's eligible.

Now, we were aware that in 2019, the Review Board granted additional freedom, to Matthew including unsupervised outings, which were to help him transition eventually into a group home. But at the same time, the board also noted that he remains a significant threat to public safety, so their decision to grant him unsupervised outings led to public controversy and backlash. So here's the update. In September of 2020, Matthew de Groot appeared again before the Alberta Review Board and applied for more freedoms. including being released into a group home in the next year. The psychologist treating him didn't support the request and told the hearing that while Matthew had made progress,

a group home situation was out of the question at that point and any new freedom should only be granted slowly. While he had stayed overnight at his parents' home and had taken hospital transportation to scheduled appointments, he hadn't yet taken public transit or started any kind of transit. to a group home. The psychologist said that this was largely because there'd been a change in his medications, which requires monitoring as symptoms can often reappear. In any event, the board agreed with the psychologist and denied the request, saying Matthew de Grood was still a, quote,

significant threat to the safety of the public, including to any staff at a group home. The decision said that even if he did take his medication as prescribed, he may say, suffer mild to moderate relapses because schizophrenia is a naturally relapsing illness. And he had experienced a deterioration in his mental condition before, which he wasn't aware of, and which also went undetected by medical professionals. So the fear is that this could happen again, he could relapse and develop psychosis, all undetected. But not only did the board deny the request, but they actually rescinded some of the freedoms they granted him at the previous hearing, including unsupervised outings. This led to an appeal of that decision and in April of 2021,

those freedoms were restored, giving Matthew the ability to make both supervised and unsupervised outings in Edmonton as approved by his medical team and supervised outings in Alberta for up to one week. He can also reside in a group home. Greg Parris, the father of Katie Paris, issued a statement to CTV news, saying he was disappointed in the decision. Quote, it is unfathomable to me that a mentally ill person who was found not criminally responsible only five years ago would be allowed to go on vacation and that the travel to and from could be unsupervised. He essentially said that the decision to grant Matthew Moore Freedoms flew in the face of the evidence presented, particularly from his own doctor who said group home staff are not as well trained in this area as hospital staff.

Quote, as always, the victims are forgotten and left unprotected. And as I've said before, as a victim, he is certainly entitled to speak on his own valid experience. The families are still advocating for a change to the criminal code that would state that those give him. given NCR status after a violent crime need more checks and balances than those who commit a non-violent offense like public nuisance. Now, when it comes to the mental health side, the case for him to be given additional freedoms, I refer to the stats from the National Trajectory Project, the largest known study of its kind in Canada, which in 2015 found that those who receive an NCR verdict are far less likely to reaffirms.

offend, then inmates released from the general Canadian prison system. Around 17% of those deemed not criminally responsible re-offended after three years, as opposed to 34% for those in the prison system. So what that told us was that as far as rehabilitation is concerned, which is the stated goal of our justice system, the NCR program does better at that than general incarceration. And when it comes to people like Matthew de Grood who committed serious violent offences and are deemed NCR, they have the lowest recidivism rates with just 6% going on to re-offend in any way, and only 1% who commit another offence that is also violent. So yes, statistically speaking, the chances of Matthew de Grood re-offending in a violent way again are low,

but that doesn't mean that his case doesn't also need to be contextualized, with reports from those who are assessing him and treating him personally. It's just such a shame that this whole system and the processes are built in such a way that the families of the victims and survivors constantly feel left out. I don't know what the solution is, but it definitely is a shame. One last update, and it's a positive one. The Quintera Legacy Garden has been in development. It's a memorial to Zachariah Rathwell, Jordan Seguerer, Josh Hunter,

Katie Paris and Lawrence Hong. And an official grand opening has been scheduled for August 14, 2021, an afternoon of music, dance, serenity and celebration. In the years after their deaths, the families had come together to create this unique lasting legacy, a musical garden space at a park that has permanent instruments for families to play, a stage for events and five flowering trees. It also features five memorial chairs with unique plaques that capture their individual spirits. In the past, family members spoke to global news calling the new Quintera Legacy Garden a beacon of hope that exceeded all expectations. Jordan Seguera's mom, Patty, said she wished they didn't have to go through what they went through, but glad that they were able to see the light afterwards.

She described the park as life after loss. Episode 34, the murder of Erin Chorney. 18-year-old Erin went missing in Winnipeg in 2002, but her body wasn't found until two years later. Her ex-boyfriend, Michael Bridges, 21 at the time, was caught up in a Mr. Big undercover operation and confessed to police that they had an argument, and he strangled and drowned Aaron and then buried her in another person's grave. In 2005, he was convicted of first-agree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole. Now, because the crime happened in 2002, Michael Bridges is eligible to ask the court for early parole, based on the Faint Hope Clause, which actually ended in 2011.

For offenders who committed before then, it gives them a chance to ask for a reduced sentence after they've served 15 years behind bars. And that's exactly what Michael Bridges did, after serving 17 years. During the two-week hearing held earlier this year, he said that he'd learned a lot and changed, and correctional officers said he'd been in minimum security for years and hadn't caused any problems.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Erin's family provided victim impact statements, with her father, comparing the ordeal to the worst nightmare he'd ever had times by 100. Quote, she was an amazing child who loved sports and being active. Her murder ate away at the family mentally, physically and emotionally. After a two-week hearing, a jury decided that Michael Bridges is eligible to apply for early parole, but not until June 2026, which is around two and a half years earlier than what would

have been his full sentence of 25 years. Episode 26, the murder of Michelle Barnoski. Michelle was murdered in 2008 in Ontario by her son Cody, who was only 15 years at the time, along with a man called Mark Vickers. Now, Cody claimed that Mark shot his mother, but Mark's story was that he only helped with the cleanup. Cody's identity was under publication ban as a young offender. But that was lifted when he was sentenced as an adult to life in prison with no possibility of parole for seven years.

In any event, in September 2019, 26-year-old Cody applied for parole and it was denied. But in 2020, he tried again, and this time was granted day parole to a halfway house near where he wants to attend college. He served 10 years in prison. According to CTV news, the Parole Board's decision referred to mitigating factors involved with Cody's situation, particularly that he had a chaotic, highly conflicted and sometimes violent childhood, rife with drug and alcohol abuse by his parents. He was abandoned by his father at a young age and attended nine different schools in the span of eight years. A previous application for parole said that Cody was diagnosed with ADHD

at a young age, but his mother Michelle had issues with putting him on medication and instead encouraged him to use marijuana in his teen years. In the decision to grant Cody Day Parole, the board wrote that it was clear he had made positive strides through the course of his incarceration, and they were of the opinion that he will not present an undue risk to society if released. Episode 6 The Murder of Rina Verk Rina was the 14-year-old from Victoria, BC, who in 1997 was lured under a bridge by a gang of teenagers and attacked by them. Two of the teens, 15-year-old Kelly Allard and 16-year-old Warren Glootsky were both found guilty of second-degree murder. Warren was released on full parole in 2010 after serving 13 years.

He was deemed to be remorseful and had realized the impact of his action. But things were different for Kelly Allard. Her defiance saw her stay in prison until 2017, when she was first allowed day parole. By this time, she had given birth to her first child, who she conceived during a private family visit or a conjugal visit with her boyfriend, who was also on day parole from a nearby prison at the same time. Kelly had her baby in early 2017 and then went back to the parole board, saying motherhood had given her a new outlook on life.

So after she was granted day parole, things stayed at that level for more than two years until January of 2020 when she received an extension. The board stated that while it took a long time for Kelly to articulate remorse and regret about Rina's murder, she had demonstrated sustained and positive change. She had successfully completed numerous programs and had behaved well during her escorted absences. The ruling also revealed that Callie had since had a second child to the same father as her first. After that, she was granted extended day parole and overnight leave with the plan to give her progressively more freedoms. The latest update is from January of 2021. It was

announced that Kelly Allard, who was 38 and goes by a different name now, will be allowed to continue her day parole for another six months, while we'll be allowed to continue her day parole for another six months, living in a halfway house. The decision said that she remains positive and compliant in the community and continues to have high reintegration potential. Quote, the fact that the birth of your children has given you purpose in life is tragically ironic as you ended the life of another mother's child, but your children and the support of your common law spouse and other family members are strong protective factors. It has now been 23 years since Rina's murder. I certainly hope that Kelly is sincere and will go on to live a normal life, at least for the sake of her children.

Episodes 1 and 2, Paul Bonato and Carla Hamulca. No introduction needed on this one. As you remember, Paul Bonato was denied parole in 2018 and was eligible to apply again this year. And even though he's designated a dangerous offender, which means the chances of him being released are almost non-existent. He came out of the woodwork to plead his case yet again. The families of Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French provided fresh victim impact statements, describing him as a psychopath and sexual sadist who should never be released from prison. Kristen Mahaffey's parents, Doug and Donna, said it was a painful and difficult process to have to prepare a victim statement again. They described the pain as a life sentence. Quote, we've had to accept what happened to our

precious daughter, but what we cannot and will not accept is the possibility of this happening to another innocent girl by the same perpetrator. Leslie Mahaffey's family echoed these thoughts. Quote, since the last parole hearing in October 2018, we have tried to forget about this dangerous offenders' existence and enjoy and remember everything about Leslie's short and previous life. Yet once again, Bernardo's desires are inflicted on us as he inserts himself into our lives again, forcing his horrors and terrifying memories upon us. It takes time for us to heal after and before each parole hearing. At this hearing, Paul Bonato told the board that he believed Carla Hamulka wouldn't have offended if it weren't for him.

and he also declares that he now has a lot of empathy for his victims. He said at the time he saw women as being lesser than men and as sex objects. He claimed that he has now stopped all deviant sexual thoughts and believes without a doubt that he is at low risk for re-offending. The Mahaffee and French families described his statement as sacrimonious and glib and his own parole officer testified that he did not agree with Bernardo's assessment either, saying that he would not recommend full or day parole because Benado had not made any progress in mitigating his risk for re-offending.

The lawyer representing the Mahaffi and French families, Tim Danson, told reporters that Bonado had admitted he hadn't done any rehabilitation work since his last parole hearing. He hadn't participated in any programs, So what was his purpose of putting the victims through yet another hearing when nothing has changed in his situation? The lawyer for the families referenced Bonado's request to have more human contact, which was apparently the reason for the parole application. He said the families would have no problem at all of supporting an application for Bonato

to be transferred into the general prison population so he can have that human contact. Danson added that the way things had been happening, it appeared that Bernardo kept forcing these hearings for nothing more than his own entertainment. As expected, he was again denied parole, but he will be eligible again in 2023. Lawyer Tim Danson told CBC News that while the families were pleased with the decision, they'll continue to push for legislation that doesn't require parole hearings to happen every two years, which they've referred to as a gut-wrenching occurrence. So that's it for significant case updates.

There was one more case that went to a new trial. That's the murder of Jagtar Gill in Barhaven, Ontario. We're still waiting on the judge's decision, so you'll hear all about that in next year's case updates. Thank you so much for tuning in, and thank you to end your best for research and we talk of dreams for audio editing. I'll see you again September 1st for the state.

of the new season.