Anita Johnstone of North Saanich said she and her family are ready for the next round now that the man who stabbed her sister to death in 1998 has been denied parole for the fourth time.
“It’s a huge relief,” said Johnstone, who expects another hearing in about 15 months. “Our communities should be thankful that he’s not out milling around.”
Linda LeFranc was stabbed 83 times by 17-year-old Christopher Maurice Alexander in Terrace in December 1998.
Alexander was found guilty of second-degree murder and given a life sentence. He became eligible for full parole in December 2006.
Johnstone and LeFranc’s daughter, just seven when she found her mother’s body, both live in the Victoria area. The daughter is now a post-secondary student.
In the victim-impact statement presented at the parole hearing, Johnstone said she was attending out of a deep love for her sister and to honour her memory.
“As others felled by grief, we put on a face of normalcy for the world.”
National Parole Board spokesman Patrick Storey said that in order to get a release, Alexander had to demonstrate that he did not pose an “undue risk to the community.”
“He has had unescorted temporary absences, so he began his conditional release process in a very gradual way,” Storey said. “Unescorted temporary absences were on the table this time, as well, but circumstances changed in his [release] plans and the board wasn’t satisfied.”
The board denied Alexander’s applications for day parole and adjourned the decision on the unescorted temporary absences, Storey said.
A petition opposing Alexander’s full parole was signed by more than 5,600 people. Johnstone has created similar petitions each time Alexander has made a parole application.
Johnstone said she has been impressed with the parole board members who have handled Alexander’s hearings.
“I have to say that they do their due diligence and that has restored my faith in the system.”
