1  2  Next

Father of Olson victims says federal government should spare families
DENE MOORE



MONTREAL (CP) - As they brace for a parole hearing next week, the family of one of serial killer Clifford Olson's young victims say they pray the federal government will amend parole laws and spare them from facing the ordeal again in just two years.

Gary Rosenfeldt, whose stepson Daryn was Olson's third victim, said Thursday he is "very heartened" by suggestions from Justice Minister Vic Toews that the Conservative government is looking at changes.

"I'm told over and over, 'don't worry about it, he'll never get out.' But no matter what, my wife, my daughter, her husband, myself and the other families - we feel very strongly that we have to be there to represent our loved ones," Rosenfeldt said Thursday.

Olson, who admitted in 1982 to killing eight boys and three girls ranging in age from nine to 18, will appear before a national parole board hearing next Tuesday.

Although there is little realistic chance he will be released from prison, as of next month Olson will have served 25 years of his life sentence.

He is officially eligible for parole and, according to Canadian law, is now entitled to parole review hearings every two years.

"We are the ones who have gotten a life sentence out of this," Rosenfeldt said. "Two years from now we're going to go through this same exercise and every two years for the rest of Olson's life."

Toews said Wednesday that the Conservative government is examining options to the automatic two-year review dreaded by victim families.

"I think that there may be better ways of dealing with this issue than simply having a mandated hearing every two years," Toews said in Winnipeg.

The justice minister suggested one option would be to dismiss applications without a hearing in cases where criminals have shown no sign of rehabilitation.


In 1982, Olson worked out a notorious cash-for-bodies deal with the Crown and RCMP that provided his family with a $100,000 trust in exchange for information about the deaths and the locations of bodies.

In 1996, after he sent graphic letters detailing the crimes to victim families, Corrections Canada obtained a gag order stopping Olson from communicating with families or the media from prison.

At his 1996 faint-hope hearing, Olson held up graphic sexual drawings to family members who sat in the courtroom.

Public outrage over that 1996 faint-hope hearing prompted lawmakers to amend the Criminal Code, stripping serial killers of the right to the 15-year faint-hope review.

Prisoner advocates point out that Olson is a rare case and that not all prisoners should be stripped of fundamental rights due to his outrageous behaviour but victim families want action.

"I'm hoping and praying that something will be done because there's no reason for it," Rosenfeldt said. "It's insanity."

from here

   

i grew up hearing about olsen. he was the warning given to us kids whenever we wandered off. it's hard to believe he could be free soon.

   

That's scary.....

   

he'll probly never be released, but there's allways that chance that one day he'll get out. hopefully it'll be in a casket or one of those urns.

   

Yeah, no kidding

   

I was in my early teens when he was doing his killing and we all had curfews and never went anywhere alone. One of the bodies was discovered only a couple of miles from our house in Richmond. My buddy knew one of the girls he killed. I hope that bastard rots in jail since we can't just kill him!

   

I always hear about guys like this getting killed in jail...how has he managed to stay alive in there? Is he in solitary confinement? I dont really support the death pentaly but I dont think to many people would shed a tear if this guy just didnt wake up one day.

   

Execute him.

   

Yeah, they must have him on solitary confinement....They seem to like protecting these LOSERS!!
They do that with child rapists too....they should just put them in the general population and let the lions have them!!

   

Terri Lynn Carson was a friend of mine she lived 2 blocks from where I did. I went to high school with her.
I think they should let this Son of a bitch out for 5 minutes.. but let all the families know ahead of time.. Then give each one of them a framing hammer. Let that sob out for 5 minutes and it's over. That SOB clubbed some of his victims with a framing hammer.. drove nails into one kids head I think it would be a fitting end.. like when Jeffrey Dahlmer was clubbed to death by a victims cousin . The guys waited for him the the bathroom he was cleaning beat him to death with two broom handles, he then after killing him then inserted the broom handles in two bodily places,with his foot..
The Son of a bitch Olson doesn't deserve "christian hospitality".. Kill the F**K

   

I can't honestly understand the mentality that would allow the likes of Olsen, Bernardo, etc to keep wasting oxygen that decent humans could be using. I don't understand why these sick, twisted POS's are afforded the protection they recieve in prison. General population for them and let the inmates sort it out! No cost, effective and a couple of less mouths to feed!

That being said, guys like Olsen and Bernardo can come up for parole every ten minutes but nothing will change. These two are destined to die in jail, never seeing freedom ever again!

   

Exactly. Dangerous Offender status was invented for guys like 2Cdo mentioned.

Let them rot in a dark hole where they can never see another human being again would be a much better sentence.

   

Actually I'm all for having them killed, just letting the inmates do it in general population!

   

I suspected as much. Sorry if it seemed like my last sentence above was your position.

   

Not a problem Xerxes!

   

1  2  Next