B.C. child killer granted unescorted leave from prison for cooking class

This story contains details that some readers may find upsetting.

A Surrey child killer could be allowed to leave prison to attend cooking classes after a decision by the Parole Board of Canada.

Shane Ertmoed, who is serving a life sentence for abducting, sexually assaulting and killing 10-year-old Heather Thomas in 2000, plans to live at an unnamed community residential facility during a 60-day “unescorted temporary absence”, despite concerns that his risk cannot be managed outside prison.

Heather’s mother, Jody Aspin, called the parole board’s decision “terrifying.”

“They are basically granting him access to other people’s children,” she said Friday.

Aspin and her friend Rebecca Darnell, a lawyer who has been assisting her, attended Ertmoed’s parole hearing earlier this month, where the killer talked about seeing a 14-year-old girl on the television show America’s Got Talent the night before. He said he became uncomfortable with his thoughts and turned off the TV. The parole board commended him for being open about his risk-related experiences.

Darnell said she is seeking more information about a letter from the parole board that arrived Friday indicating Ertmoed’s plan may be delayed or cancelled. She said the uncertainty highlights the way offenders continue to torment the family of their victims decades after their crimes. She receives correspondence from the correctional system related to Ertmoed almost once a month, sometimes more, and she and Aspin continue to attend every parole hearing.

“You just have to show up,” she said.

Heather Thomas disappeared on Oct. 1, 2000 near her father’s townhouse complex in Cloverdale. That afternoon, while playing with friends, she said she was going for a short bike ride and never returned. Her body was found three weeks later, floating in Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park.

Ertmoed, a construction worker who lived in the same housing complex, was charged with murder the following month.

During Ertmoed’s 2002 trial, the jury heard he lured Heather into his home to see pictures of birds, then killed her when she resisted a sexual assault. He put her body in a hockey bag, and then bought gas and a movie ticket to provide him with an alibi. He hid her body in a park and then returned the next day to dump it in the lake.

At a parole hearing in January 2025, a board member asked Ertmoed about the day of the murder. The killer said he did not plan the attack on Heather, but when he spoke to the girl — a “complete stranger” — he was hoping to indulge in his fantasies.

The board member asked how Ertmoed planned to get away with his crime.

“I didn’t think that through at all,” he replied. “All I could see is the immediate gratification at the time.”

“She ruined your fantasy. She fought,” said the board member.

“Yes, and that’s when I decided to murder her,” said Ertmoed.

The board denied his request for day parole.

Ertmoed has been allowed escorted absences from prison since 2021, at times working on a cleanup crew in downtown Victoria.