A woman from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, who was only 12-years-old when she assisted in the murder of her mother, father, and young brother, was set free on April 6, 2017. It has been 10 years since the murders occurred.
The woman, who is only known as J.R., cannot be named because she was only 12-years-old when the murders occurred. This is in compliance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
J.R. became the youngest multiple killer when she and her boyfriend, who was 23-years-old at the time, killed her mother, father and her brother, who was 8-years-old. As the youngest multiple killer, her name was protected but her boyfriend was revealed to be Jeremy Steinke.
Canada’s youngest multiple killer to be free @CTVTerryVogt #yql https://t.co/g0G6aYlI4E pic.twitter.com/1xmPLuKBd4
— CTV News Calgary (@CTVCalgary) May 7, 2016
J.R. was sentenced to 10 years for being the youngest multiple killer in Canada . According to Global News , this is the maximum sentence that can be given to a child between the age of 12- and 14-years-old. Of her 10-year sentence, four years were spent in a psychiatric institution and another four and a half years were spent in the community under conditional supervision. Eighteen months credit was given towards her sentence to take into account the time she had already spent in custody. At 18 years of age, she graduated from high school with straight As and then she went on to university. She’s been attending school in Calgary.
While in court , it was revealed that J.R. “had conduct and oppositional defiance disorder.” According to Mayo Clinic , oppositional defiance disorder is “a frequent and persistent pattern of anger, irritability, arguing, defiance or vindictiveness toward you and other authority figures.”
At 22 years of age, Canada’s youngest multiple killer attended her last sentencing review in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. She appeared via closed-circuit television. Justice C.S. Brooker gave her a stellar review and said that she has been unwavering in her commitment to her rehabilitation.
Today, May 7, 2017, the youngest multiple killer in Canada is free. She no longer needs to see therapists or psychologists. She does not have to report to a judged or even a probation officer.
Her boyfriend at the time, Steinke, is still serving a 25-year life sentence. He has no possibility of parole.
Ten years ago, this was one of the biggest cases in Canadian news. The court proceedings were followed closely and reported on by all major news channels. Steinke and J.R. were boyfriend and girlfriend and her parents did not approve of their relationship. She was forbidden from seeing him and it is believed that this is what provoked the murders.
Some have suggested that the plot to killer her parents was based loosely on the Oliver Stone movie, Natural Born Killers , because in the movie, the young lovers began their killing spree by killing her parents.
In court, Steinke said that he did not plan the killings but that he did kill the mother and the father. He took the mother by surprise when he was hiding in the basement and stabbed her after she screamed. When she screamed, the father came running and was also stabbed by Steinke.
Steinke says that he had nothing to do with the murder of the young boy, the 8-year-old brother of Canada’s youngest multiple killer. He was found with his throat slit, in his bed, and surrounded by blood splattered toys.
Steinke and the youngest multiple killer in Canada were found the day after the bodies were discovered. They were 90 miles away in the town of Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada when they were arrested for the murders.
What do you think of Canada’s youngest multiple killer becoming free only 10 years after murdering her parents and her young brother? Do you think that she is ready to rejoin society without anything or anyone to hold her accountable for her actions?
[Featured Image by ljubtaphoto/iStock by Getty Images]