It’s been almost a decade since one of the most shocking crimes ever witnessed in the region.
The murder of Fred Fulton and Verna Decarie in their Minto home was followed by an international manhunt and two exhausting trials.
Gregory Despres was found guilty for the deaths but not criminally responsible because of mental health.
Since then, he’s been held in the Mental Health Unit at the Dorchester Penitentiary.
But that may be about to change if the Shepody Centre closes, something that Brenda Case, the niece of one of the victims, is very concerned about.
“A lot of things were going through my mind and my main concern was he is going to escape,” she says.
The possibility of the closing of the Dorchester Unit surfaced this week in the House of Commons.
Newfoundland New Democrat MP Jack Harris sought confirmation of the move said to be coming April 1.
“Forty-five of the total capacity of 50 beds at Shepody are currently occupied,” said Harris to the Federal Public Safety Minister, Steven Blaney. “We are told that current and future inmates will be transferred to Archambault, near Quebec City where 100 of 119 beds are already occupied.”
This isn’t the first time a change of address has been considered for Gregory Despres.
Two years ago, doctors requested he be moved to a secure hospital in Northeastern N.B. But the victim’s families objected to the move.
“I just think they’re passing the buck on Gregory,” she says. “My main feeling was the reason why they wanted to move him was because they felt they couldn’t help him and that it wasn’t looking good on them.
They are also concerned because Despres’ case and his continued incarceration and treatment is reviewed every two years.
While he’s been institutionalized at Dorchester, the Fulton and Decarie families have only had to travel as far as Moncton for those hearings.
If he’s transferred to Quebec, it could mean travelling to Montreal, a trip which could be difficult for aging members of the families.
Blaney offered no insight into the future of the mental health unit, only saying that he would look into the matter.
