Almost 27 years after his complicity in the horrific 1996 murder of Isabelle Bolduc, whose body was found in a Sherbrooke field, Marcel Blanchette has just obtained an escorted provisional release.
This is the message the victim’s father, Marcel Bolduc, received from the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) on Thursday.
During Marcel Blanchette’s hearing before PBC, Mr Bolduc had mentioned that he was opposed to the killer’s release.
“I have received information that the parole board has approved the further education trips requested by Marcel Blanchette. It is certain that this decision has disappointed us, especially as we do not know the motivations of the commissioners for this decision,” he told TVA Nouvelles.
In 1996, in Sherbrooke, Marcel Blanchette, along with two other people, Jean-Paul Bainbridge and Guy Labonté, abducted, kidnapped and assaulted Isabelle Bolduc before killing her with a metal rod, leaving the body of the young 22-year-old woman in a wooded area of Fleurimont .
A 49-year-old repeat offender with what was then a serious crime, he kidnapped another young woman in Sherbrooke, Manon St-Louis, in the days following the horrific events.
Marcel Blanchette is now 76 years old. Despite his advanced age, Mr. Bolduc fears the temporary release is the first step towards parole, which he says could pose a risk to society.
“When they kidnapped Isabelle the three people were on probation, for Mr Blanchette it was his seventh probation. After a 38-year sentence, he had already served 24 years. He is currently behind bars for 54 years,” said the victim’s father.
“What do you think that gentleman can do outside?” he added.
Although unwilling to forgive his daughter’s killers, Marcel Bolduc has filed a request for redress in order to have a conversation with Marcel Blanchette.
“I want to know what his plan is? What does he want to do outside? I think if I had him in front of me and listened to him, I could know if he was serious. I have no intention of confronting him at all. I think this meeting would help me,” he said.