Stephen Leclair is serving a life sentence for killing four people.
A man who fatally shot four people, including an RCMP officer in Richmond, was recently granted a one-day medical parole.
Stephen Leclair, now 76, was given a life sentence for committing four first-degree murders more than four decades ago.
In 1980, after being kicked out of a bar in Vancouver, Leclair returned and shot dead two employees and an elderly customer. He then forced two gunmen to drive him to an RCMP detachment in Richmond, where he shot Const. Thomas Agar in the chest.
Before he was granted six months of parole in December, Leclair lived in an institutional hospital where he required 24-hour care. His parole conditions include no contact with the victims’ families and consumption of alcohol. He is also banned from visiting police units and several areas around the Lower Mainland.
He had previously been given permission to see his wife under her supervision, and in 2015 he was given a warning after failing to comply with the conditions for Unaccompanied Temporary Absence (UTA).
Leclair’s UTAs were revoked in 2017 after he was “rude and disrespectful to a staff member” and “made disparaging comments about (his) victims.” He later admitted that his behavior was “inappropriate”.
The Parole Board of Canada noted in its decision that many victim impact statements spoke to the “trauma and ongoing harm and grief” Leclerc’s abuse caused the victims’ families.
“Some family members also express fear at the prospect of (Leclair’s) release,” the ruling said.
According to the ruling, LeClair grew up with an abusive alcoholic father who apparently threatened to kill him, and LeClair tried to kill his father by stabbing him. Leclair began drinking alcohol every day when he was young and became addicted to diet pills said to be amphetamines, but stopped taking the pills after stabbing his father.
He also has a criminal record, including convictions for drunken driving and assault, as well as a history of spousal assault. Previous assessments indicated he had a “high risk of re-offending against an intimate partner”.
Risk of reoffending is moderated by health conditions
Although the board noted the “horrific nature” of Leclair’s crime, its decision was based on Leclair’s risk of reoffending, which was mitigated by his age and health.
In a letter from LeClair to the board in August 2022, he stated that it was “probably” his last chance to speak to the parole board and said he was “bedridden and can no longer walk.”
He also reminded the board “of its obligations to be sensitive to the needs of aging and infirm prisoners”.
During his sentence, Leclerc completed various correctional programs and also participated in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and individual therapy sessions. He has also not been involved in any violent incidents during his detention and has been living in a minimum security environment since June 2011.
A 2020 psychological evaluation estimated that Leclair was at “moderate to high risk for violence,” noting that he was “an essentially untreated domestic abuser who continues to struggle with emotional regulation.” But a psychiatrist noted in 2021 that Leclair did not suffer from any “serious mental disorder” that would preclude parole, and he was “experiencing cognitive and physical decline.”
The chief of health services at Leclerc’s current hospital also sent a letter saying his behavior had been “consistently positive over a significant period and despite less than ideal conditions of care.”
The board concluded that Leclair would not pose an “excessive risk to society” if released on parole and his release would help him reintegrate into society as a law-abiding citizen and “contribute to the protection of society.”
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