A former RCMP investigator who worked on the Karissa Boudreau murder case says he’s disappointed with the recent decision to grant her mother, Penny Boudreau, unescorted leave from prison.
Penny pleaded guilty in 2008 to killing her 12-year-old daughter and was convicted of second-degree murder.
John Elliott, a former Southwest Nova RCMP major crimes sergeant, says the decision fails to recognize the nature of the crime.
“It was a horrendous crime. Let’s face it, how often do we hear of this type of crime where a mother murders her child?” he said.
“It just hit home with a lot of people that the sentence she received … 20 years really doesn’t seem like a lot. It’s been 17 already.”
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Elliott was one of the officers called in back in 2008 to investigate when Karissa’s body was discovered along the LaHave River in Bridgewater, N.S.
“I witnessed, almost first-hand, when Penny gave her … confession. I was there watching that in another room, but via video,” he recalled.
“There wasn’t any high fives or anything like that. There was more tears in the rooms to hear that confession.”
At Penny’s parole hearing in Truro, N.S., this week, the parole board granted her 60-day unescorted day parole — ruling she wasn’t ready to be fully unrestricted in the community.
“These are more rare than a temporary day pass, day parole. There are more restrictions placed upon individuals who have an unescorted temporary absence,” said Michael Boudreau, a St. Thomas University criminology professor.
“But what it also highlights is that this individual in particular has been able to display to the Parole Board of Canada that they are making progress to transition out of custody.”
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