A Nova Scotia organization that supports women and girls who are involved with the justice system is facing backlash over who it invited to speak at a panel discussion on navigating the legal system.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia is now apologizing after the event included Marissa Shephard, who was convicted in the 2015 killing of a Moncton, N.B. teenager.
The event at Dalhousie University last week was entitled “Navigating the Legal System & Community Supports After Violence, Victimization, and Loss” and was supported by a fund in partnership with the family of Logan Russell. On its website, the organization said Russell lost her life “in an act of horrifying violence perpetrated by her male partner.”
In a post on Facebook, Russell’s mother, Maureen MacTaggart, said she was “beyond disappointed and heartbroken that they would use Logan’s legacy in connection with someone like (Shephard).”
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“We feel deceived by this decision and not being made aware of this ahead of time and given the choice to participate or not. Had we been made aware, it would have never been associated with Logan or our family,” she wrote.
Pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Shephard received a 12-year sentence in 2021 after pleading guilty to manslaughter and arson in the death of 18-year-old Baylee Wylie.
Court documents say Wylie was tied to a chair, beaten, and stabbed about 200 times.
His body was found in Shephard’s burned-out Moncton townhouse in December 2015.
Shephard was one of three people sentenced in connection with Wylie’s killing. A 2024 Parole Board of Canada decision states Shephard wasn’t present for the fatal assault but helped start the fire.
The Parole Board required supervised housing on statutory release to manage Shephard’s risk to the community, citing poor institutional behaviour, including aggression, manipulation and intimidation in custody.
Society says it made a ‘serious mistake’
In its public statement, the Nova Scotia chapter of the Elizabeth Fry Society said it made a “serious mistake” in planning the event.
“We made a decision about panel participants without consulting Logan’s family, who had entrusted us with Logan’s memory,” the statement reads in part.
“An event meant to honour a loved one instead caused more pain, and re-opened grief for other families across the Maritimes who lost someone to violence,” the organization went on to say.
“Our work asks us to consider everyone who may be affected by violence, and above all, to do no further harm. With this event, our actions did not reflect that, and we have harmed those we support.”
The society declined Global News’ request for an interview, saying it is prioritizing staff safety because it has received threats of violence over the event.
In a message to Global News, Russell’s aunt, Darlene MacTaggart, said while she understands that the Elizabeth Fry Society’s focus is rehabilitation, having Shephard as a guest on the panel was a “poor decision.”
“It is our hope that going forward we can keep Logan and Baylee’s memories alive and continue to say their names. We will work hard to continue to support education on Intimate Partner Violence in Logan’s memory,” she wrote.
The family has also asked the society to stop using Logan’s name and image.
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