MONTREAL -- A parolee charged with murder had been allowed by his case manager to meet women for sex.
In 2004, Eustachio Gallese killed his wife, Chantale Deschenes, by beating her with a hammer before repeatedly stabbing her. A judge sentenced him to life in prison in 2006. After serving 15 years, in Sept. 2019, Gallese was granted day parole. Last week, while out on parole, Gallese entered a Quebec City hotel where 22-year-old sex worker Marylene Levesque gave massages. Police later arrested and charged him with her murder.
Gallese was on parole despite a moderate risk of reoffending, his case manager had written.
His case manager had also told him to avoid relationships but added that he could have encounters with women as long as it was strictly sexual.
Such a condition is "unbelievable," ex-parole board commissioner Dave Blackburn told CJAD 800.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the House of Commons on Monday that a full investigation will be conducted jointly by the Commissioner of Corrections Services and the chair of the Parole Board of Canada to determine the circumstances surrounding Gallese's release and ensure lessons are learned from it. Crime victims' advocates have also decried the situation.
"Families of crime victims attend the trial, they watch the accused get a slap on the wrist, then he gets paroled after a fraction of his sentence," said Nancy Roy, a crime victims' advocate. "Ultimately, there are dangerous inmates, and this was preventable."
The parole board is tough to fool, former inmates told CTV News. The former inmates, who asked to remain anonymous, said rehabilitation is hard to fake, but added that an inmate's case manager, who spends years following an inmate, often holds all the power in deciding whether or not they get parole.
With files from CJAD 800 and The Canadian Press
