Teen who murdered family gets more freedom
Last Updated: Monday, November 2, 2009 | 6:47 PM MT
CBC News
A couple and their son were found slain in their home in Medicine Hat in southern Alberta in April 2006. (CBC) A teenager convicted of killing her parents and brother in Medicine Hat, Alta., when she was 12 will be able to have supervised trips off the grounds of the psychiatric institution where she is serving her sentence.
At a hearing in a Medicine Hat courtroom Friday morning, Justice Scott Brooker ruled that because the 16-year-old is making progress, she will move to an open custody arrangement from a closed one.
The teenager, who can't be named due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, appeared by closed-circuit television from Edmonton. She was flanked by her treatment team, which includes a psychologist and a case worker.
The team recommended the open custody approach, which would start with supervised trips on the secure grounds of the Alberta Hospital, where she is undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Those escorted trips would later move into the community.
She would eventually be allowed to leave the grounds by herself for trips to places like banks and shopping malls. Each time she leaves the grounds, supervised or not, she would need approval from the solicitor general's office.
"In terms of education, she seems to be doing very well," said her lawyer Katherin Beyak. "In terms of a number of the other programs and extracurricular activities she's been involved in, she's certainly making the most of her time there and Alberta Hospital seems to be a very good situation for her."
Crown prosecutor Ramona Robins asked that the teen's regular reviews be changed from once a year to every six months. (CBC) Crown attorney Ramona Robins didn't oppose the change, but noted concern about the teen's lack of progress in accepting the severity of her crimes. She was granted a request to change the frequency of the girl's reviews from every year to every six months.
"I hope I get more information that I can reassure myself. I think of myself as a member of the community like any other, and I think the community wants reassurance," she said. "So if I can reassure myself that there's progress, that's what I am looking for in more reviews rather than less."
The Court of Queen's Bench hearing lasted about 45 minutes. The teen's status will be reviewed again in six months.
Canada's youngest convicted multiple killer
The girl was found guilty in July 2008 of three counts of first-degree murder for killing her mother, father and eight-year-old brother in their Medicine Hat home on April 22, 2006, when she was aged 12.
Labelled Canada's youngest convicted multiple killer, she was given credit for the 18 months she had already spent in custody, meaning she received the maximum sentence of 10 years.
The girl received a rarely used type of sentence, known as the intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision sentence. She will spend her first four years in a psychiatric hospital, instead of a youth detention centre. She was also sentenced to 4½ years under conditional supervision in the community.
To qualify for the sentence, which is set out under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a young offender must be diagnosed with some form of mental disorder or emotional disturbance.
Her boyfriend at the time, Jeremy Steinke, was sentenced to the automatic minimum prison term of life with no chance of parole for 25 years for his role in the killings. A jury found the 25-year-old guilty on three counts of first-degree murder in December.
