BATTLEFORDS – Another person convicted in the horrific torture and murder of 25-year-old Tiki Laverdiere of Edmonton, Alta., has been granted day parole.
In June 2022, then 35-year-old Danita Thomas was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter and improperly interfering with human remains in Laverdiere’s death. Thomas was one of 10 street gang members convicted in Laverdiere’s brutal murder.
“Day parole at this time will not pose undue risk and the release will protect society by facilitating your re-integration back into society as a law-abiding citizen,” reads the Jan. 9 parole decision.
Ten people were convicted of Laverdiere’s murder with the last person sentenced in April 2024 and the five-year publication ban finally lifted.
Laverdiere’s remains were found on July 11, 2019, by a police dog in a rural area outside of North Battleford following an extensive search by RCMP officers. She had been reported missing by her family on May 12, 2019, with her last known communication occurring on May 1 of that year, according to RCMP.
Over the following months, RCMP arrested and charged 10 individuals across Saskatchewan and Alberta in connection to Laverdiere’s murder.
The prosecution of the 10 individuals was a drawn-out process, taking five years. Senior Crown Prosecutor Chris Browne, along with prosecutor Charlotte Morden, prosecuted the 10 convicted. In court, Browne referred to Laverdiere’s murder as a “real-life horror movie,” a sentiment echoed by co-accused Shayla Orthner’s defence lawyer Patrick McDougall, who described it as “the most horrific gang murder in Saskatchewan’s history.”
Orthner is another woman granted parole, but she asked to be returned to prison, finding life inside easier, and her day parole was revoked Sept. 23, 2024.
Tiki Laverdiere’s disappearance and homicide sparked an extensive investigation led by Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes, supported by over 20 additional RCMP units and four partner agencies. The probe spanned two provinces, covered nine crime scenes, and involved interviews with more than 120 witnesses.
Court heard that Thomas was gang leader Soaring Eagle Whitstone’s “right hand.” During her parole hearing, however, Thomas told the board that she had since disassociated from the gang and was working on her rehabilitation.
Parole documents also reveal that Thomas has participated in approximately 270 escorted temporary absences (ETAs) during her incarceration, including a 60-day work release, all without security concerns.
Thomas’s troubled background, which included being placed in a group home at the age of 11 and later struggling with substance abuse, was highlighted in her parole hearing. Her parole documents reveal the “intergenerational effects of residential schools and family fragmentation” as contributing factors to her criminal involvement.
The conditions of her day parole are strict. Thomas is required to return to the halfway house each night and is prohibited from consuming alcohol or drugs. Additionally, she must avoid any association or communication with individuals involved in criminal activity or substance abuse.
