The heads of Canada’s prison service and the parole board today expressed condolences for the death of a young Quebec woman murdered by a convicted killer out on day parole, and vowed to take whatever steps necessary to prevent another incident like this from happening again.
The heads of Canada’s prison service and the parole board today expressed condolences for the death of a young Quebec woman murdered by a convicted killer out on day parole, and vowed to take whatever steps necessary to prevent another incident like this from happening again.
Correctional Service of Canada Commissioner Anne Kelly and National Parole Board Chair Jennifer Oades were on Parliament Hill for two hours today answering questions from MPs on the public safety committee.
Marylène Levesque, a 22-year-old sex worker, was found stabbed to death in a hotel room in the Quebec City suburb of Sainte-Foy Jan. 22.
Eustachio Gallese, who was out on day parole at the time and serving a life sentence for killing his ex-wife in 2004, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Levesque’s death last month.
Kelly said the parole officers involved in his case have been suspended from supervising offenders.
The case touched off a political firestorm in the House of Commons over Canada’s parole board system and its decision to allow a man with a record of deadly violence against women to be released on parole — and to be alone with women.
Levesque worked in an erotic massage parlour and had met Gallese at hotels on multiple occasions.
On Tuesday, Oades said public safety is paramount in all decisions by the parole board, and stressed that violent incidents occurring after the board releases an offender into the community are “very rare.” Evidence-based risk assessment has improved vastly over the years to limit repeat offences, she said.
“As much as we strive for excellence in our decision-making, unfortunately predicting human behaviour is not, and will likely never be, an exact science,” Oades said. “In the very rare instances such as this case, where an offender re-offends violently, it is devastating to me, to our board members and to our staff.”
Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus said he was outraged that Gallese, with a violent history