HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia group that supports at-risk women and girls is apologizing after it hosted a panel discussion on violence that featured a woman convicted in the brutal killing of a teenager.
Marissa Shephard was listed as a panel member for the event last week organized by the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia.
In 2021, Shephard was sentenced to 12 years in jail after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and arson in the death of 18-year-old Baylee Wylie, who was stabbed 200 times.
Wylie’s body was found in Shephard’s burned out townhouse in Moncton, N.B., in December 2015.
Shephard was one of three people sentenced in connection with Wylie’s killing.
Devin Morningstar was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2016, while Tyler Noel pleaded guilty in May 2017 to second-degree murder and arson with disregard for human life, and both received life sentences.
The Nova Scotia chapter of the Elizabeth Fry Society issued a public statement Monday night saying it made a serious mistake while planning the event.
“Our work asks us to consider everyone who may be affected by violence, and above all, to do no further harm. With this event, our actions did not reflect that, and we have harmed those we support,” reads the statement.
The non-profit group said in an email they would not be taking part in media interviews at this time.
“Our staff have received repeated threats of violence, and our priority right now is the safety of our team and the people we support, and respect for families who are grieving,” reads the emailed statement sent Tuesday afternoon.
According to court documents, Wylie, Shephard and the two other young men gathered at her home for “some drug-fuelled excitement” that ended tragically with Wylie being tied to a chair, beaten and stabbed repeatedly with a variety of weapons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.
