Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
In a hearing Wednesday morning, a Parole Board of Canada panel granted Melissa Todorovic, now in her early 30s, four 15-day unescorted absences to a halfway house.
During the hearing, Todorovic argued longer absences would help her better prepare for day parole and her eventual reintegration in the community.
She said the 72-hour unescorted absences she completed in the past were too short, leaving her ill-equipped and "overwhelmed" on day parole, which was then revoked after a few months.
Todorovic was convicted of first-degree murder in 2009 for ordering her then-boyfriend, David Bagshaw, to kill 14-year-old Stefanie Rengel. Both of them were sentenced to life in prison, but Todorovic was able to apply for parole after seven years.
Todorovic, who was 15 at the time, grew jealous of Rengel because the girl had briefly dated Bagshaw years earlier. She repeatedly threatened to end her relationship with Bagshaw or withhold sex unless he killed Rengel.
Bagshaw eventually stabbed Rengel multiple times on New Year's Day 2008 in Toronto.
In 2018, Todorovic was granted six months of day parole, but she was brought back to prison early after the parole board found she was involved in a secret love triangle.
The board found she had breached a condition of her release that required her to disclose any new relationships. The condition was imposed because unhealthy relationships played a central role in the murder.
Her day parole was eventually revoked and Todorovic's appeal of the ruling was dismissed.
The same condition -- that Todorovic report any relationships or friendships to her supervision team -- was among those imposed Wednesday for the unescorted temporary absences.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
U.K. police arrest man wielding a sword in east London, 5 people are taken to the hospital
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.