The Saanich man who arranged for his Mount Douglas Secondary School classmates to murder his mother and grandmother in 1990 for a $4-million inheritance has been granted a six-month extension of day parole.
Darren Gowen — formerly known as Darren Huenemann — was first granted day parole in August 2022. Gowen, now 50, was 18 at the time of the killings. He orchestrated the murders of his 47-year-old mother, Sharon Huenemann, and 69-year-old grandmother, Doris Leatherbarrow, at Leatherbarrow’s home in Tsawwassen.
His classmates Derik Lord and David Muir carried out the murders with a knife and a crowbar while Gowen stayed at home with his girlfriend. Lord and Muir rearranged the crime scene to make it look like a burglary had taken place.
In 1991, Huenemann was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Lord and Muir were also sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
Muir, who admitted his role in the murders, was granted day parole in 2002 and given full parole in 2003. Lord, who continues to maintain his innocence, was first granted day parole in March 2020.
During an in-office review by the parole board on Aug. 2, members noted that the murders were not Gowen’s only crimes. In 1995, he escaped from a B.C. prison, assaulted a staff member, stole a vehicle and engaged in a high speed chase with police. He was handed a three-year concurrent sentence for these offences.
Information in his file revealed that his parents separated when he was very young. Gowen found his mother to be very controlling and felt a lot of pressure from her regarding success and appearance.
“You became particularly adept at playing on appearances to satisfy her, learning to divert your emotions to create a seemingly perfect facade,” the board members noted.
Gowen’s latest psychiatric assessment completed in 2017 was positive. The psychiatrist found Gowen had made significant progress over the years. The report found Gowen accepted all the blame for the murders and became emotional when he expressed his remorse and regret.
A 2020 psychological risk assessment found Gowen at moderate-to-low risk over the medium and long terms to violently reoffend. The psychologist concluded that the murders had been committed when Gowen was approaching adulthood and he had clearly done a lot of work on himself in the past decades.
Gowen has been on more than 150 escorted temporary absences. He was also granted unescorted absences to the community residential facility when he now lives. His security classification is minimum.
Gowen has done well since his release on day parole in August 2022, the board concluded. Board members found he is committed to his successful reintegration into society. He has performed volunteer work and from November 2022 to May 2023, worked for a company that considered him to be a hard-working and valuable employee. He is now looking for work.
“At the beginning of your day parole, you were reportedly riddled with sadness, guilt and regret, as you felt as though by joining civilization, you had abandoned your home (penitentiary) and your friends/family (inmates). You still feel this way today, but in a less overwhelming manner. You have also accepted the fact that after all your years of incarceration and hardworld, it is your time to reinvent yourself outside of the walls of an institution,” the board noted.
Board members found that Gowen understands and accepts the continuation of day parole.
“In fact, you are well aware of the gradual steps to follow until reaching full parole and show a desire to trust the process,” their decision says,
Board members concluded that Gowen does not present an undue risk to society if released on day parole and that his release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating his reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen.
During his day parole, Gowen must have no contact with family members of the victims. He is also forbidden to associate with anyone involved in criminal activity. Day parole requires him to return each night to a community residential facility or halfway house.
In this latest decision, the board removed a geographic restriction, requested by the victims in 2022, which prevented Gowen travelling to B.C.
“There is no indication that you have voiced or expressed a future interest in travelling to British Columbia during your day parole period,” it said.
