Convicted child murderer granted 60-day unescorted leave for culinary training

Shane Ertmoed, convicted in 2002 of sexually assaulting and murdering 10-year-old Heather Thomas, has received permission for a 60-day unescorted temporary absence from prison to take cooking classes. Although the parole board rejected his day parole request last year, it noted his participation in treatment programs, medication to curb sexual arousal, and successful completion of prior escorted absences. Under the plan, Ertmoed will live at a community residential facility with 24-hour supervision, work four-and-a-half hours daily alongside a Red Seal Chef, and maintain counseling and rehabilitation services.

He is barred from returning to the Lower Mainland, including Surrey, and from traveling to Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, or Ontario, as well as from unsupervised contact with females under 18, with his electronic devices closely monitored. Heather Thomas’s mother, Jody Aspin, condemned the decision, saying it revives her fear for children’s safety. The temporary release, authorized on Sept. 2 and slated to begin on Sept. 28, has been postponed without an explained cause.