Terri Theodore, Vancouver, B.C. (Canadian Press) – A former Mountie convicted of murder for throwing his wife off a 17th floor balcony to her death remains adamant that he is innocent.
Patrick Kelly told a National Parole Board panel that he was aware of the concerns that his greed led him to commit murder, but he rejects the idea, according to a parole board report released to The Canadian Press the week after granting Kelly full parole.
In the written decision, two members of the board said that while Kelly is steadfast he’s not guilty, he is still a low risk to re-offend.
Kelly was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1983 for the death of his wife Jeanette. The former RCMP officer has always claimed his wife’s death was an accident.
A key witness told Kelly’s trial that he dropped his unconscious wife off the balcony of the couple’s luxury condominium on the Toronto waterfront.
But Dawn Taber changed her story several times and later recanted.
The Ontario Court of Appeal rejected Kelly’s bid for a retrial.
The parole documents say Kelly “adopted a realistic attitude to the conviction” about 15 years ago and started taking all of the available programming and education he could.
In December 2008, he began living at a community residential facility in a remote area in north-central British Columbia while on day parole.
It was there and in a nearby, unnamed community that he started developing a restoration business working on vehicles and furniture.
He told his hearing that he was also doing minor home renovations.
“You reminded the board that you have matured and are 60 years old and are very deterred by any prospect of returning to jail,” the report stated.
The reported also noted he has positive community support, doesn’t have any criminal associates, continues psychological counselling and maintains a connection to his church.
“You state that your priest holds you accountable and that you appreciate his guidance.”
Kelly’s day parole was suspended in December 2004 after he was accused of fraud and breached a special condition that required him to report all financial dealings to his parole officer.
While he was found not guilty of fraud, his day parole was revoked a year later when board members decided the same risk factors that led him to kill his wife were in play.
“At the time of your offence, you were financially overcommitted, driven by greed and involved in an intriguing web of business and personal deceit.”
The Crown prosecutor said at the time of his trial that Kelly was trying to cash in on his wife’s large life insurance policy. Court heard that shortly after his wife’s funeral Kelly went to Hawaii with one of his mistresses.
Despite his lack of insight into the murder, the parole board said a recent risk assessment showed he was at a low risk to re-offend violently and a moderate risk to re-offend generally.
“Your release plan is viable and accountable and contains sufficient checks and balances to manage your risk to re-offend,” the report concluded.
His conditions for release included continued psychological counselling, full financial disclosure to his parole supervisor and that he report all female relationships to his supervisor.
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