Convicted animal killer granted unescorted leave from B.C. halfway house

VANCOUVER—A Vancouver-area woman who was convicted of brutally killing animals and admitted to wanting to kill a homeless person can now leave her halfway house unescorted.

A court order issued Thursday means Kayla Bourque can leave the New Westminster, B.

C., residence between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursdays but must wear a GPS tracking device and have permission from her parole officer.

Her lawyer, Andrew Bonfield, says the order is “not freedom,” as Bourque is already living under numerous court conditions.

B.C.’s Ministry of Justice warned the public about Bourque’s release from custody in September 2015, noting she was under 47 court-ordered conditions.

An earlier ruling from the B.C. Court of Appeal says Bourque told a fellow university student that she wanted to kill a homeless person and was in forensic studies to learn how to evade police.

Bourque has also pleaded guilty previously to charges of causing suffering and unlawfully killing animals, admitting to killing a family cat and dog between 2009 and 2010.

(CKNW, News 1130)