Jury denies killer’s ‘faint hope’ bid for early parole

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This article was published 26/01/2024 (627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A jury has decided a man who murdered a Winnipeg woman pregnant with his child in 2007 won’t be allowed to apply for early parole.

Nathaniel Plourde was 19 when he murdered 24-year-old Roxanne Fernando on Feb. 15, 2007, beating her with a wrench after he agreed to go on a Valentine’s Day date as a ruse.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2009 and was sentenced to life without the ability to apply for parole for 25 years. Two co-accused were also convicted.

Plourde, now 36, applied this month to have Court of King’s Bench Justice Ken Champagne and a jury hear his “faint hope” application, a Criminal Code provision that allows certain offenders to seek the ability to apply for parole earlier than set out in their sentences.

The jury of five men and seven women ruled Tuesday not to allow him to apply for parole until 25 years of his sentence have been served, in 2032.

The Parole Board of Canada will ultimately decide whether to grant Plourde’s release, if he applies for parole after 25 years.

Plourde told court last week that he committed the murder while riddled with anxiety over the pregnancy and resentment toward Fernando.

Fernando, a co-worker at a Main Street fast-food restaurant with whom he had a brief relationship, was placed in the trunk of a car and taken to another secluded area.

Plourde and two accomplices abandoned Fernando, still breathing but badly injured, in a snow-filled ditch on Winnipeg’s edge, where her frozen body was found days later, after family reported her missing.

Testifying in court, Plourde revealed Fernando had agreed to have an abortion, provided he spend time with her afterward, but said he committed the crime out of concern of hurting a new relationship.

Defence lawyers Carley Mahoney and Ashley Anderson told court Plourde has done significant work to rehabilitate himself while incarcerated, including developing a deep relationship with Christianity and partaking in numerous programs and educational opportunities.

Crown prosecutor Mike Desautels opposed the application and challenged Plourde on the stand over lies and misleading statements he made to police and officials.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca