TORONTO - A Toronto woman convicted of killing her seven-year-old stepson in 1998 has been granted day parole for six months.
Marcia Dooley and her husband were convicted in 2002 of second-degree murder for the death of his son, Randal, and they were both sentenced to life in prison, with Dooley able to apply for parole after 18 years and her husband after 13.
The couple tried to challenge their conviction, but the appeal was dismissed in 2009. Dooley told a parole hearing in 2020 that she and her husband had since divorced.
In a decision released last week, a two-member panel for the Parole Board of Canada said Dooley, 52, has shown an improvement in her behaviour during her time behind bars and has learned how to manage her emotions through counselling.
“Your actions took the life of a young vulnerable child and have caused lasting emotional and psychological harm to those who loved him,” the board told Dooley in its decision.
“The Board notes that your progress has been steady over the course of your incarceration, and all contributing factors are now assessed as a low need for intervention.”
Dooley must follow a number of conditions while on day parole, including that she take part in counselling to address reintegration stressors, and that she report all of her relationships. Dooley is also to have no contact with the victim's family, any children under the age of 16, or her ex-husband.
The board didn't order a hearing to grant the day parole and made its decision based on written submissions provided by Dooley, including two letters of support.
During trial, court heard that the victim, Randal, was brutally abused for months after he and his brother came from Jamaica to live with their father and stepmother in Toronto in 1997.
The court found Dooley was the one who fatally struck Randal and carried out most of the abuse, while her husband allowed it to happen.
Randal weighed only 41 pounds when he died in 1998, and had 13 fractured ribs, a lacerated liver, multiple brain injuries and bruises all over his body, court heard.
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