Steven Roe
A Kamloops man who in 2006 stabbed to death a romantic rival in a jealous rage inside an Aberdeen convenience store is no longer bound by a parole condition requiring him to take psychological counselling.
Parole Board of Canada (PBC) documents state Steven Patrick Roe, 28, had the condition removed at a hearing earlier last month.
A jury convicted Roe of second-degree murder in 2007, but he successfully appealed and, in 2010, was found guilty of manslaughter following a second trial.
On Feb. 21, 2006, Roe armed himself with an eight-inch hunting knife and set off for the Aberdeen Esso at Hillside Way and Rogers Way after coming across a series of flirtatious Internet messages between his girlfriend, Kyla Regnier, and David Holditch, who worked at the gas station.
Roe attacked Holditch — Regnier’s ex-boyfriend — and stabbed him six times, including once in the heart.
The 18-year-old died on the floor of the Esso convenience store.
Following that conviction, Roe was handed a sentence of nine years in federal prison.
With credit for time served, the sentence worked out to just shy of six years.
Roe was first granted day parole in August 2012. He has been free on statutory release since November 2013.
The PBC has previously expressed concerns about Roe’s conduct while in custody, including two violent incidents.
First, while on remand in a provincial jail, the PBC noted Roe was involved “with several other inmates in an assault against another offender.”
Later, in federal custody, the PBC stated Roe took part in a “major incident” involving cells being set on fire. He is also alleged to have been in possession of a “spear-like weapon” at the time of the incident.
David Holditch
In 2011, investigators found a homemade computer in Roe’s cell. It was determined he had assembled the computer while on bail and had it shipped to the prison.
The computer had Internet capabilities, according to the PBC, and Roe used it to access email and download pornography.
That discovery resulted in Roe spending two months in segregation.
A psychological assessment in 2013 pegged Roe as a “low to moderate” risk to re-offend.
Conditions of Roe’s release still in effect include orders he not leave the country, not possess any weapons and notify parole officers about any change in work, education or any relationships.
The documents describe Roe, who is now married, as “doing well in the community,” but do not state where in B.C. he is living.
Roe’s sentence is slated to expire on Oct. 13.
The post Roe no longer bound by parole condition; manslaughter conviction stemmed from 2006 stabbing death appeared first on Kamloops This Week.