VICTORIA, B.C. – Convicted Saskatoon killer Kenneth David Mackay – who was granted day parole – is back behind bars after a woman told police he was stalking her daughter.
Mackay, now 49, befriended Daina at his flagging job in Victoria, British Columbia, and then began to stalk her, Christine told SASKATODAY.ca during a phone interview Sunday about her daughter’s encounter with Mackay.
“Mackay and Daina talked frequently and my daughter had zero knowledge of his past, only the lies he told her,” said Christine, who we have agreed not to use her, or her daughter’s, last names.
Although Daina had a certain amount of trust for Mackay because they worked for the same company and took courses together, something about him made her uneasy. During the courses and at the worksite, Mackay tried developing a relationship with Daina and had insisted on giving her a ride home once because he lived in the same neighbourhood.
“He befriended her and tried to make some sort of relationship out of the whole deal.”
Since it was a new friendship, Christine cautioned her daughter not to let him into her house and not to go to his place.
Daina's uneasy feeling about Mackay increased.
“Mackay showed up at Daina's work site last week (on a day he wasn't working) and asked Daina if he could drive her home or, drive her to work the next day,” said Christine. “This behaviour made my daughter nervous. Daina didn't like the fact he was ‘stalking’ her. Daina's crew mates at work were suspicious of Mackay's intentions with Daina too. His behaviour wasn't normal.”
Mackay had reportedly given two weeks-notice at work and told others that he planned to become a truck driver. He told Daina that is why he wanted to meet her outside of work and why he was leaving the flagging job.
"That’s when he started pushing her, ‘can I take you for coffee, can I do this with you,’” said Christine. “He got pushy about meeting my daughter.”
Something inside of Daina told her to be cautious around MacKay.
“She just had this feeling that she didn't want to piss him off,” said Christine. "So, thank goodness for that.”
The odd behaviour and her gut instinct prompted Daina to do her own search on Mackay. She typed in his name on the Internet and was horrified with the results.
“She’s in shock, she’s just in shock” said Christine. “She’s pretty shook up. She could very well have been another victim.”
Victoria Police confirm Kenneth Mackay arrested
After discovering Mackay’s past, Daina called a co-worker who told her she needed to call their employer immediately. She did and her boss told her to call the police, said Christine.
“The police showed up right away to obtain a statement and they went directly to Mackay’s and apprehended him.”
Victoria Police have confirmed with SASKTODAY.ca that Kenneth Mackay has been arrested.
“I can confirm that Kenneth Mackay was arrested by VicPD officers on Sept 1 for suspension of his parole,” said Cst. Terri Healy in an email Tuesday afternoon.
The Parole Board of Canada said they are unable to discuss the specifics of Mackay’s case but said that if an offender on parole fails to abide by conditions imposed, their release may be suspended by CSC and they will be returned to prison.
“Once an offender’s parole has been suspended, CSC may refer the case back to the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) for a post-suspension review,” said Lisa Saether, Regional Manager, Community Relations and Training, Parole Board of Canada / Pacific Region.
“Upon receipt of a referral, the PBC will make a decision, after reviewing all relevant available information, to either cancel the suspension or to revoke the offender’s release,” said Saether in an email to SASKTODAY.ca Tuesday. “ If the Board cancels the suspension, it may decide to change the conditions and/or add special conditions to the offender’s release. If the Board revokes the release, the offender will remain in custody.
“When making its decision, the Board conducts a thorough risk assessment to determine whether the offender’s risk remains manageable in the community. Public safety is the paramount consideration in all PBC decisions.”
Christine said she is "putting myself in Crystal’s family’s shoes."
“I can’t imagine being there. I don’t want to be there. I don’t want anybody else to be there.”
Just days after discovering Mackay’s past, Christine is still shook up with how close she believes her daughter came to becoming another one of Mackay’s victims.
“I truly believe he was planning to do something heinous to my daughter.
“Now I have nightmares,” she added. “Daina's sister is worried too. What does he know about our family? Where we live? What does he know about my grandson? I can't begin to imagine how Crystal's family and friends feel about him being lose, or set lose again.
“I want him off the streets,” said Christine. “I will not stay quiet until he's permanently back behind bars.”
Violent murder of Crystal Paskemin
Warning: Details may be disturbing to some.
Mackay murdered 21-year-old Crystal Paskemin from Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatoon in December 2000. Two years later, a Saskatoon jury found Mackay guilty of first-degree murder.
In 2002, Mackay was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years but he was granted early day parole in January and released to a community residential facility on Vancouver Island for six months. Then, in July, the parole board extended his day parole for another six months. He was granted day parole prior to his full parole eligibility in 2027.
Parole documents reveal that Mackay is banned from Saskatchewan, has a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and must return to the halfway house at night. Other conditions of his release include not consuming drugs or alcohol, following his treatment plan, not being at a gambling establishment, not contacting the victim’s family, and reporting all sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with women to his parole officer.
Parole documents show there continues to be concerns about Mackay’s power and control issues. The board said he has possible issues with women and their expected role in relationships. A psychologist concluded that he was a high risk for violent re-offending.
Mackay’s Institutional Parole Officer wrote in her report that she had concerns about his inability to accept “no” for an answer, and inability to accept denials or refusals. He attacked Paskemin after she told him "no." At the time of Paskemin’s rape and murder, Mackay was “harbouring anger towards the women” in his life and his failed relationships, said the report.
Paskemin was on a girl’s night out at the Longbranch, and after watching her from a distance, MacKay approached her and offered her a ride home, said Paskemin’s sister Tanya.
Mackay’s parole documents reveal that he violently sexually assaulted Paskemin in his truck. She managed to escape but he continued to attack her outside of his truck, including hitting her on the jaw with his fist with such force that her jaw was broken. He then drove his truck over Paskemin’s head, crushing it.
“You set the victim's body on fire and dragged her body behind your truck for a considerable distance before digging a crude grave and dumping the victim's body into it,” state the parole documents. “You then fled and tried to destroy evidence. The victim was found naked with the exception of one sock.”
He lit her body on fire and dragged her body in his truck by a chain down an icy grid road. He then dug a shallow grave, tossed Paskemin in it, and covered her with snow, said the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations when speaking out in January against Mackay’s early parole.
Mother wants answers
Christine wants to know why the Parole Board of Canada granted Mackay day parole in January when he wasn’t eligible for full parole until 2027. The staff at his prison expressed concerns about his issues with women, his inability to accept the word “no,” and that he was at a high risk to violently reoffend. In addition, Paskemin’s family objected to his release.
“Why didn't anybody listen?” asked Christine. “Did the fact that Kenneth David Mackay murdered a native girl, give leverage to his early parole?”
Christine also wants to know why the public wasn’t warned about his release into the community, onto an island with retired people and families.
“Why wasn’t there a public notification of Mackay’s residency in our city? The halfway house he resided in was in my daughter's neighborhood.”
Christine questions the hiring practices of the company that her daughter worked for, alongside Mackay.
“The flagging company is also responsible for criminal record checks but Mackay lied and he gave no indications to his boss, or my daughter, of his past. In fact, he lied about everything.”
Christine said her daughter had no inkling about Mackay’s criminal past. He was living his life as a regular citizen and there was nothing indicating that he was a killer. He had a car, a motorcycle, and had paid for his road flagging course where he initially met her daughter. Christine wants to know who paid for his course and vehicles.
“Why was he out at all? Isn't there any responsibility and accountability regarding schools and places of work he attends, or is that left up to the victims’ families to find out for themselves?”
Story clarified to say that Mackay was granted day parole prior to his full parole eligibility in 2027.
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