The father of the little girl from Granby, who tragically died in April 2019, was granted partial parole and will be transferred to a halfway house as soon as a place becomes available.
In its decision of a dozen pages made public Wednesday, the Parole Board wrote to him that it “is of the opinion that you will not present an unacceptable risk to society if you obtain day parole and your placement at liberty will contribute to the protection of society by promoting your social reintegration as a law-abiding citizen.”
The Commission says it notes that the man, now 34 years old, has made “gains and progress in all areas of intervention” linked to his case. She notes that, according to the reports concerning him, his accountability, his motivation and his potential for social reintegration “are all assessed as high”.
In addition, the psychological evaluation concludes that he presents “a low-moderate risk of violent recidivism.”
A moving story
The victim in this story, a seven-year-old girl, died of asphyxiation after being wrapped in duct tape.
The child’s father was sentenced to four years in penitentiary in January 2022 after pleading guilty the previous month to a reduced charge of false imprisonment. His partner was found guilty of the unpremeditated murder of the child and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 13 years.
This was the man’s third attempt to obtain semi-release. A first attempt last April failed and he returned to the charge by appealing this decision, an appeal which was in turn rejected last September.
His mother always opposed
As with the previous request, the child’s paternal grandmother opposed the release of her son during the hearing of her request on November 30, saying she feared for her safety and that of other members of the child’s family.
His time in a halfway house, where he will have to remain until the end of his sentence, is accompanied by multiple conditions, including a ban on coming into contact with other people linked to the tragedy. He will be prohibited from being in the presence of children under 16 and he will have to report any relationship, sexual or not, with a woman. He will also have to continue his psychological counseling work.
The death of the child shocked all of Quebec and led to the creation of a Commission of Inquiry on the Rights of Children and Youth Protection chaired by Régine Laurent, whose report was slow to be implemented.