Victim’s family distraught after murderer gets parole

Sex offender and child killer Harold Smeltzer has been granted day parole for another six months despite an assessment elevating him to a moderate to high risk of reoffending in the long term.

“It’s angering. It’s just wrong,” said Evelyn Thompson.  “In my world, it’s wrong.”

Her world has been a dark and fearful one since the day in 1980 when she let her daughter, Kimmie, walk to kindergarten for the first time by herself.

Kimmie was five years old when Smeltzer abducted her in Calgary, took her back to his parent’s home, crawled into a bathtub naked with her, and drowned her before stuffing her body into a garbage can.

“People say, ‘Oh, it’ll get better. It gets easier.’ Well it’s been how many years? Thirty years almost? Or more? I don’t know,” said Thompson, choking back tears. “It doesn’t get any better. You just learn to live with it.”

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Smeltzer, 58, has been living at a halfway house in Regina. He was denied an overnight pass in a September review after he was spotted hanging around near a park in July. Smeltzer said he was listening to a concert, according to a Parole Board document.

“In reviewing your file, the Board sees that years ago you were hanging around malls and or parks and this was a concern as it relates to the risk you present as you were accessing or fantasizing about potential victims. The Board has no way of knowing whether you sitting near the park was more concerning than just listening to a live music concert,” states the document.

Smeltzer served 27 years in prison before he was granted day parole in 2008. His parole is reviewed every six months. Thompson says she gets updates from the Parole Board on its decisions.

“I don’t believe in capital punishment, but I don’t believe they should be on the street,” said Thompson.

In other words, she believes a life sentence should mean life. She says her grief doesn’t stop.

“Nothing will lay this to rest,” said Thompson.

Thompson says she plays the events of Jan. 24, 1980 over in her head often, adding it was difficult to raise her other two children, Brad and Tina.

“They lived in a prison,” said Thompson during a phone interview, her daughter calling out from the background that she still has to check in even though she’s a grown woman.

Now Thompson says that fear still grips her when it comes to her grandson.

“I’ll tell you what it’s like to have him. It’s awesome. He’s a wonderful kid. But the minute he steps around a corner and I can’t see him, my heart starts to race,” she said.

Thompson says it’s a small relief Smeltzer was denied an overnight pass but that doesn’t stop her from fearing what he could be capable of during the day.

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