A man serving a life sentence for the murder of a Victoria teen told the Parole Board of Canada that he started hearing voices again last month.
Corey Barry, 51, disclosed that information Friday during the hearing of his application to leave his minimum-security prison once a month to attend church in 91原创.
The voices came back, Barry said, when he learned his victim’s family is opposed to his temporary release.
“I was stressed out about the situation with the victims. They were trying to take away the Lower Mainland from me,” said Barry. “That stressed me out. It made me go backward.”
Barry said he saw his doctor and was put on a higher dose of medication.
“And it’s helped. The voices are gone now.”
But board members Carol-Ann Reynen and Catherine Dawson were reluctant to grant escorted temporary absence passes to Barry and denied his application because of concerns for public safety.
In June 2010, Barry stabbed Justin Wendland, a 15-year-old Victoria High School student, in the heart and the chest at a bus stop on Douglas Street, then ran to the police station and confessed.
At the time, Barry was homeless and battling addictions to heroin and crystal meth. On the day of the murder, he tried “bath salts” — a very intense stimulant — for the first time. He told the parole board he had just been beaten up by a group of men.
“Justin looked like one of the guys who beat me up and I was in a psychosis so I stabbed Justin,” Barry said. “I didn’t realize it wasn’t him until I heard from the police officer.”
Barry’s case worker told the hearing that his most recent psychological assessment rates him as moderate to high risk for general and violent recidivism. However, the assessment found his risk in leaving the institution would be manageable and would help him develop coping skills in a less secure environment.
“He is aware he needs to maintain his sobriety, manage his emotions and comply with his medication to manage his risk,” she said.
The escorted temporary absences would allow him to connect with Rev. Harold Munn, who sat beside him at the parole hearing. Munn, the former rector of St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Victoria, has been Barry’s largest source of support, she said.
Barry has a criminal history including drug offences, robbery and assault. He has been violent toward his partners and has been assessed as a high risk for intimate partner violence.
Barry told the board he feels a lot of remorse and dreams about Justin every night.
“And I wake up crying because I’m sorry for what I did. He was 15 years old. He was innocent.”
Barry said he is no longer interested in taking drugs and won’t be tempted.
“There’s no longer any fun in it anymore because I killed someone… That’s heavily within me.”
When pressed on why he wants to attend church in 91原创, he replied: “I want a chance to getting my freedom back.”
“Some people say you don’t deserve to be free,” Reynen said.
“I agree with them, but everybody has their time,” Barry replied.
The parole board heard that Justin’s mother, Raj, still has nightmares and feels heartbroken and hopeless, lost and lonely.
“Why should this offender be allowed out?” she said. “Everything I see and know about him make him a danger to the community. Let us not forget that my son paid the ultimate price… Justin had a great heart and was doing everything right. What an amazing child. Every day I am in a dark place. Every day is a struggle. Other people won’t be safe if he goes free.”
The board recognizes that Barry has made some gains and participated in programming, said Reynen.
“You’ve been open. You’re working with your mental health team. You’re participating in your medication regime and you’re here in minimum security so you’ve definitely made gains and you’re doing positive steps,” she said.
But the board is concerned that Barry continues to minimize his criminal past and does not have a lot of insight into the offence. Barry has only been in a minimum-security institution for eight months and has had some adjustment to his medication, noted Reynen.
“When we weighed it all, we’re looking at public safety. We’re concerned. And we’re also concerned about the purpose of this type of escort, what we hope to achieve beyond getting outside of the door.”
