A convicted killer of a husband and wife won't be coming to a Sudbury halfway house for a limited number of unescorted visits, after the Parole Board of Canada ruled against his request.
George Harding Lovie, 58, had applied for six unescorted temporary absences – each lasting 72 hours – over a period of a year. Lovie has served 25 years of his life sentence for the brutal murders of Donna and Arnold Edwards on March 21, 1991. He was also convicted of attempted murder of their daughter, Michelle, with whom he had a brief relationship.
At the time of the murders, he was on bail after being charged a month earlier with sexual assault and forcible confinement of Michelle. She had broken off the relationship a short time earlier.
After being granted bail on the charges, he bought a rifle and hid under her porch. When she came out and saw him, she ran across the street to her parent's home to try and escape.
Lovie shot and killed Donna Edwards, and stabbed Arnold Edwards to death, shouting “d'you you like me now?” as he inflicted the fatal wounds.
The family is opposed to any release program for Lovie, who is being housed at the Beaver Creek Institution, a minimum security prison near Gravenhurst.
Lovie made a similar request last year, which was also rejected. In a decision made Nov. 16, the board cited several examples where he demonstrated he still didn't take responsibility for all his crimes, and had attempted to manipulate his treatment plan for his own ends, rather than to rehabilitate himself.
In its decision, the board said it had to determine whether the temporary releases would “present an undue risk to society,” and the likelihood of Lovie re-offending while out of jail, “taking into consideration the nature and gravity of the offence that could be committed.”
While in many ways, Lovie has been a model prisoner, the board relied on several of his statements and actions in rejecting the request. For example, after his application last year, he told a staffer that the sexual assault he was accused of was a set up, and that the victim “wanted it.
“You made the statement that you would stay in jail forever before you would admit that you committed a sexual offence,” the board decision reads. “These comments further demonstrate that you continue to blame the victim.
“At one point in the conversation, you made a statement (to a staff member) to the effect of stabbing her and quickly laughed and corrected yourself, stating you meant it figuratively, not literally.”
The board said Lovie's file showed he has power and control issues, and rather than take responsibility for his failed relationship, he transferred blame to her parents. It's a consistent pattern, the board ruled, as previous psychological assessments have found he has an obsessive need to be right, and will project blame onto others to maintain that perception of himself.
The view is further supported by the fact Lovie has refused to take treatment for his sexual assault crime, the board wrote, showing that he is still trying to control the process rather than accept responsibility for his actions.
The board also noted that, while he has said he regrets the murders, he seemed preoccupied and inattentive when the family read victim impact statements at the hearing.
“After a careful review of all information, the board finds that you continue to lack insight into your offending, continue to deflect blame towards your victims, and have not completed specific programs to mitigate the risk you present,” the decision reads. “The board fins that risk would be undue ... and therefore is not authorizing the proposed (unescorted temporary absence requests) as presented."
