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The man who killed Banff taxi driver Lucie Turmel in 1990 has been granted parole again after being sent back to prison in 2022.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted Ryan Jason Love day parole for six months, citing his successful completion of counseling and lengthy release periods between 2011 and 2022.
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“While his index offense is particularly concerning, he has a limited criminal history, has demonstrated community management skills for extended periods of time, and has successfully completed recommended programming with good progress reports,” the parole board said in its April decision, marking Love as a “low to moderate risk” for violent recidivism.
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“Accordingly, the Board concludes that you will not pose an undue risk to society on one-day parole, and your release will facilitate your reintegration as a law-abiding citizen.”
Love, now 52, was 18 when he stabbed 23-year-old Turmel 17 times, killing her for the night’s winnings on May 17, 1990. He walked away with less than $130.
He was convicted of second-degree murder in June 1994 and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 20 years. Still, he was granted day parole in 2011 and full parole in 2012.
Love remained on probation for more than a decade despite a mischief conviction in 2021 after he smashed several windows of his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle with a baseball bat. He served 30 days in jail and the parole board gave him a reprimand, but it did not revoke his parole at that time.
His probation was suspended after an incident in August 2022 when he was stopped at night with a drunk woman in his vehicle in an area of an unnamed city known for crime, substance abuse, and the sex trade.
The parole board said Love lied when questioned by police and his parole supervisor about the incident, and it was discovered that he had been associating with a “negative peer.” The board revoked his parole in November 2022 as a result of his “activities and dishonesty.”
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The board noted that Love kept a “low profile” upon his return to a minimum-security prison in 2022 and has not incurred any institutional charges or incidents.
His probation is subject to several conditions, which prohibit him from using or purchasing drugs and alcohol, as well as having any contact with Turmel’s family and his ex-girlfriend. She will also undergo mandatory counseling and must report any relationship of any nature with a woman to her probation supervisor.
Love’s request to be put back on parole was denied, with the board saying it does not “offer the same level of structure and supervision” as day parole.
“The board notes that you have a history of being uncommunicative with your parole supervisor…so you will benefit from the outside monitoring and additional observation that comes with being on day parole and residing in a CRF (residential facility). community)”. read the decision.
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