Convicted murderer Kelvin Purdy appeared at a screening hearing in BC Supreme Court in Nanaimo on Feb 11 and 12. A judge will now decide if Purdy's application, known as the faint hope clause, has merits for an accelerated parole hearing. (CHEK News)

By Ian Holmes

parole plea

Convicted murderer of wife in Nanaimo lobbies for early parole hearing

Feb 14, 2020 | 7:17 AM

NANAIMO — A man serving a life sentence for brutally murdering his estranged wife as she walked on a dark north Nanaimo path is arguing he deserves a fast-tracked parole hearing.

Kelvin Kingsbury Purdy, 51, was convicted by a BC Supreme Court jury in 2005 in Nanaimo of second degree murder for the gruesome early morning knife attack against Denise Purdy near Lasalle Rd. on Dec. 12, 2003.

Purdy self-represented himself in Supreme Court in Nanaimo this week arguing for an early parole board hearing, a process commonly referred to as the faint hope clause.

As it stands now the earliest Purdy can apply for parole is Dec. 12, 2022.

Purdy’s arguments were strongly opposed by the Crown during the two-day hearing which wrapped up on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

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He continued to deny he’s a murderer, pointing to circumstantial evidence and a lack of DNA pinning him to the crime scene.

“I have been very adamant about my innocence and trying to get to the truth,” Purdy said, who vowed to hire a private investigator to reveal the real killer if he ever gets released.

Blood from his ex-wife was found hours after the incident in Duncan in a Ford Explorer driven by Purdy.

He told Justice Douglas Thompson the blood was in the vehicle due to contamination caused by an RCMP officer who transferred blood to the SUV from the crime scene.

Purdy theorized Denise was potentially murdered by her then-boyfriend, his family or friends, or the police.

Self-identified as Metis since 2015, Purdy complained during the hearing about the absence of a Gladue report in his case and an over representation of Indigenous offenders in Canadian prisons.

Justice Thompson reminded Purdy several times to stick to details about his character development while in jail and not corruption allegations against the police and judicial system.

Purdy referenced prison programs making stained glass, drumming, wood working and creative writing as ways to help him successfully integrate back into society.

The Crown’s Ruth Picha cited numerous Correctional Service Canada reports to paint a picture of how Purdy glossed over his risk to the public and inability to talk about his use of violence.

“The steps that have been taken thus far certainly for Mr. Purdy seem to indicate this is very much a premature application,” Picha said.

A 2015 report pointed to a “softening of denial” but then a 2016 report showed he’d reverted back to adamant denial and was suggesting his ex-wifes boyfriend was the murderer.

When Purdy was sentenced on Nov. 25, 2005 the presiding judge described him as “domineering, narcissistic and unrealistic.”

Picha said Purdy was described in a similar way in a 2018 psychologist report.

“Things haven’t changed,” Picha told the court.

Alongside his many prison programs, Purdy also wrote a memoir in jail. It included a “DNA Suspect Scavenger Hunt List” with 199 people who could be responsible for the murder of his ex-wife.

Picha said the document is another example of Purdy transferring blame. It included allegations a jury member in his trial was a “ringer for the Crown.”

Purdy’s stepfather visited the juror at his home in a bid to have him reverse course on the murder conviction to benefit Purdy.

Following the death of the jury member’s son, Purdy mailed the family a condolences card.

Picha said Purdy also sent a condolences card to the juror’s daughter-in-law, somebody not involved in the trial.

A police complaint was made and Purdy was warned about his conduct.

“To receive these notes has to be understood to be terrifying and disturbing, particularly at the vulnerable point they were at in their lives,” Picha said.

Purdy apologized for the incident during his screening hearing, saying he mistakenly thought the juror was a family friend.

He also created a political party featuring judicial reforms and automatic parole. Purdy described himself in party literature as a “political prisoner.”

Purdy had no prior criminal history and little conflict while locked up at the Pacific institution, a federal penitentiary in Abbotsford, the hearing was told.

He wore a wool sweater and had his ankles shackled while he addressed Justice Thompson from the prisoner’s box.

If granted early parole, Purdy has a post-release plan the Crown considered “unrealistic.”

He wants to open a bed and breakfast at an airport where he can teach customers how to build planes.

Previous provincial and federal court appeals of Purdy’s conviction were denied, while an earlier bid to seek day parole was also rejected.

Purdy accused the lawyers representing him in the trial and appeal processes of deliberately holding back evidence that could have exonerated him.

Purdy has an active application before the federal Justice Minister, who has the power to review a conviction to determine whether a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

Justice Thompson reserved his decision for Purdy’s early parole hearing application for a later date.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes