The man convicted of the 1992 murder of a 24-year-old woman in her Brookswood apartment has been granted a 60-day unescorted absence from his prison on Vancouver Island.
However, Wayne Alexander Perkin was denied day parole, and his application for a temporary unescorted absence so that he could expand his participation in Alcoholic Anonymous was also denied.
In June, 1992, Perkin stabbed Angela Richards 12 times in her apartment on 200 Street, near 40 Avenue. Perkin and his wife lived in an apartment across the hall.
Richards had moved in only the previous month, and had planned to train as a helicopter pilot.
In May, 1994, Perkin was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years.
A parole board hearing report noted that Perkin, now 63, is serving time for the murder of Richards, as well as gross indecency, a crime he committed in 1995, and aggravated assault and kidnap and confinement, in 1987.
In its report, the National Parole Board noted that Perkin, a Metis, is the product of a “highly dysfunctional and violent upbringing.”
As a young boy, Perkin was placed in a Christian residential training school where he was abused. He began associating with an older, negative peer group in order to ‘fit it,’ and, the board noted, admitted he was living a criminal lifestyle.
The board report noted: “At your hearing, you acknowledged you committed more crimes than your record shows, including an assault on your best friend. You said you felt rejected and that you were an angry and self-centred person who cared little for others. You said you took a victim stance, believing everyone owed you.”
The reported noted that Perkin admitted to “power and control issues,” had negative attitudes towards women, and suffered depression and loneliness.
Among the risk factors that still remain are substance abuse, unresolved emotional issues, and anger stemming from his childhood.
Perkin has already been given several escorted temporary absences, with positive feedback, the report stated.
Now in a minimum security facility, Perkin’s attitude “is described as positive and (he) avoids the negative subculture” in his prison.
The report noted that he has embraced his Metis roots, become more involved with the Native brotherhood, and is more actively involved with First Nations activities.