Melissa Todorovic, who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex, granted day parole
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2025 (191 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex in 2008 has been granted day parole for six months.
The decision by a Parole Board of Canada panel will allow Melissa Todorovic, now in her 30s, to live in a halfway house under several conditions as soon as a bed becomes available.
Todorovic was convicted of first-degree murder in 2009 for ordering her then-boyfriend, David Bagshaw, to kill 14-year-old Stefanie Rengel.
Todorovic, who was 15 at the time of the murder, 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, until Bagshaw eventually stabbed Rengel multiple times on New Year’s Day 2008 in Toronto.
Conditions for Todorovic’s day release include reporting all relationships to a parole supervisor, not having any contact with the members of the victim’s family, observing a nightly curfew and undergoing psychological counselling.
In its decision, the parole board cited Todorovic’s good behaviour in prison and the “notable progress” she has made.
“It is the board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society if released on day parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,” the panel wrote.
Both Todorovic and Bagshaw were sentenced to life in prison, but Todorovic was able to start applying for parole after seven years.
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 with two men.
In 2024, she was granted four 15-day unescorted absences to a halfway house.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.