A man who killed a Sudbury police officer and has, according to the officer's family and National Parole Board documents, shown no remorse whatsoever, is a free man after serving his full eight-year sentence.
Jeremy Trodd, now age 24, was released from the Joyceville maximum security federal penitentiary Friday. He's changed his story many times, but Trodd has indicated he might return to the Sudbury area and this deeply concerns the family of Sgt. Rick McDonald.
"My mother is worried sick she might actually have to run into him," said Marlene Viau, the sister of McDonald, the Greater Sudbury Police veteran who was killed after a stolen van Trodd was driving hit him at high speeds on July 28, 1999.
McDonald was laying down a spike belt near Sudbury's Four Corners when the van Trodd was driving swerved the avoid the spike belt and struck McDonald. Trodd's 17-year-old cousin Peter Noganosh was also killed in the incident.
Trodd, who was 16 at the time, served several months in pre-trial custody at Cecil Facer youth centre, but was tried and convicted of two counts of criminal negligence causing as an adult and given a seven-year sentence. He served the first few months of his sentence at a youth correctional facility before opting to be transferred to a federal penitentiary.
The only good news, says Viau, is Trodd is under a Section 810 order, which puts him under a daily curfew between 10 am and 6 pm and orders him to have no contact at all with any member of her family.
According to National Parole Board reports and Viau, who has attended several board hearings, Trodd had a tattoo with the initials "CK" inscribed on his neck, which parole board officials believe stands for "Cop Killer", which Trodd has denied.
Viau said she's spoke to Trodd on numerous occasions at his sentencing hearing, at parole board hearings and a native healing circle hearing at Joyceville, and not once has Trodd ever shown any remorse for killing her brother.
"This was just so shocking and disturbing," she said. "He's shown no remorse at all to any member of my family since this happened.
"At a native healing circle hearing her requested in prison, I attended and thought maybe that would be the chance for him to express remorse, but he didn't say a thing and he showed he obviously doesn't care."
Trodd has to report to Kingston police his whereabouts within 48 hours of his release so her family should know where Trodd plans on staying by Sunday morning, said Viau.
Trodd has told different stories to different people about where he plans on staying, varying from going to live with a sister in British Columbia, to friends in Sudbury or his mother on the Magnetewan Reserve, she said.
"We don't know exactly what he's going to do, but we will know within 48 hours of his release...he must also notify police within 24 hours of any change in address," she said.
While incarcerated in Joyceville, National Parole Board transcripts show he's been in trouble for trafficking narcotics and getting into constant trouble with correctional officers. He also was kicked out of schooling programs for non-attendance and fired from an institutional job for failing to abide by rules.
Viau said her family realizes nothing can be done now that Trodd has served his entire sentence, but her wish this troubled young man might turn around his life is not likely to become reality.
"I've talked to him and pleaded for him to try and change things...there's never any response," she said. "He's had many, many chances to apologize for what he did and to make sure Rick didn't die in vain, but every time he remains mute.
"It's 'me, me me' with this kid...and he does feel remorse for his cousin being killed, but when it comes to Rick, there's nothing there."
During one final parole board eligibility hearing in late March, the board ruled they consider Trodd "a high risk to reoffend" and denied his release once again.
Board members also didn't buy Trodd's explanation for having the inititals "CK" tattoed on his neck.
"The board is satisfied that, if released, you are likely to commit an offence causing serious harm to another person before the expiration of the sentence you are now serving according to law," said the ruling.
A psychiatric assessment issued in 2005, described Trodd as having any insight into his long history of criminal behaviour.
"She found you to be an individual who minimizes responsibility. She indicated that you had no insight into your risk factors and showed no remorse or empathy. She did not believe that you were prepared to end your involvement in criminal activity.
"Unfortunately, in her view, because of your impulsive nature, you could easily become involved in a crime that would have tragic consequences...and determined, as a result, that you pose a high risk for violent offending."
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