Ryan Crossley, the man who killed Jesse Penner in 2006 in Port Coquitlam, waived his right to a detention review hearing this week.
The 22-year-old was supposed to appear before the parole board on Wednesday but when he arrived he said he did not want to waste anyone's time, according to Patrick Storey, regional manager of community relations and training for the parole board. But because Crossley refused to sign a waiver, the board will still have to make a decision.
"Obviously, it wasn't a full hearing," he said. "If Mr. Crossley doesn't want to answer any questions, the board can't force him to do it."
The board will use reports submitted by his parole officer and other documents to make their decision, Storey added.
Detention reviews are generally granted to inmates who have had their bids for release after serving two-thirds of their sentence rejected. Each year, they are given the opportunity to present new information to the board that helps members decide whether an inmate is ready for release.
Penner was trying to break up a fight outside a PoCo house party in 2006 when he was stabbed multiple times by Crossley, later dying from his wounds.
After last year's detention review, the Parole Board of Canada said Crossley would not be let out early because of numerous violent acts he committed while behind bars. The board noted that since his incarceration, he has not completed any programs to address his propensity for violence or his substance abuse issues.
"You continue to endanger the safety of others, on occasion spontaneously but often with some level of pre-planning, and frequently involving the use of weapons," the board said in its reasons for decision. "You do not display a genuine remorse for the victims and clearly hold a personal belief that accepts and endorses violence."
Six months were tacked on to Crossley's original five-year sentence for an assault that occurred behind bars.
After his statutory release this winter, Crossley will be free, and neither the parole board nor Correctional Service of Canada will have any authority over him.
Gord Penner, Jesse's father, said he has concerns that the lack of supervision following the Dec. 18 release could allow Crossley to re-offend.
"It is ridiculous," he told The Tri-City News. "It is going to break my heart to see him do this to another family."
