Convicted murderer tries ‘faint hope’ for early parole

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A man convicted of first-degree murder for the 2007 slaying of a woman pregnant with his child hopes a jury will allow him to apply for parole early.

Nathaniel Plourde, 36, was 19 years old when he beat Roxanne Fernando, 24, with a wrench Feb. 15, 2007, before binding her with tape and stuffing her into the trunk of his car, with the help of a youth.

Plourde and the youth called for the help of a friend, Jose Manuel Toruno, who helped beat her again before the trio dumped her in a snow-filled ditch on the edge of Winnipeg, near Mollard Road and Ritchie Street.

Fernando’s frozen body was found several days later.

She and Plourde had had a brief relationship after they met while working at a Main Street fast-food restaurant and she became pregnant. She initially agreed to have an abortion, but later backed out, which set in motion the planned and deliberate slaying, court heard at the time.

Fernando — who prepared a gift of chocolates, cologne and a teddy bear for Plourde — was lured out under the pretense of a belated Valentine’s date.

Plourde pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October 2009, and was sentenced to life in prison with no ability to apply for parole for 25 years.

Toruno pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with no chance of parole for 15 years.

The youth was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to seven years (the maximum youth penalty).

On Monday, Plourde appeared in front of Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Ken Champagne and a jury of seven women and five men at the start of a “faint hope” hearing. Under the Criminal Code, certain offenders sentenced to life can apply for early parole after serving 15 years.

The Parole Board of Canada would ultimately decide whether to grant Plourde parole, should the jury allow him an early application.

Defence lawyers Ashley Anderson and Carley Mahoney told court Plourde has significantly changed while in custody since his February 2007 arrest.

“Over the coming days, we will endeavour to show you what those 17 years have looked like and what Mr. Plourde has done while he’s been incarcerated to rehabilitate himself and grow from a 19-year-old boy who committed a horrendous act to a very different 36-year-old man,” Anderson told the jury.

“Your job… is to listen to the people who have paid witness to his transformation over those 17 years; the people who have supervised him, supported him, worked with him and observed him since he entered into custody.”

The witnesses will give the jury an idea of the programming, professional and personal work Plourde has completed while in prison, Anderson said.

She said Plourde, who has had “exceptional behaviour” in various correctional institutions, went from maximum security to medium security and eventually, minimum.

He has been granted more than 100 escorted absences to work in construction outside of Stony Mountain Institution in recent years, Anderson said.

Among the witnesses to be called are a corrections manager, a retired Stony Mountain chaplain and a current chaplain, Plourde’s institutional parole officer, an employee of the construction company Plourde works for in and out of the prison, a community member who attends coffee houses at the prison who has developed a friendship with Plourde in recent months, and a corrections officer who runs programming in the prison.

Plourde is expected to address the jury next week.

“He will open himself up to you, as he has done with so many others over the past 17 years,” Anderson told the jury. “You’ll be called upon… to balance the character of Mr. Plourde, his conduct while serving his sentence, the nature of the offence and the impact on the victim.”

Crown prosecutor Mike Desautels did not address the jury Monday. The hearing is slated to last three weeks.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca