WATCH: Joshua Bredo was sentenced for manslaughter last year but the family of his victim, 20-year-old Daniel Levesque, has just learned he was released from custody early. April Lawrence reports.
There was a sense of relief for family and friends of 20-year-old Daniel Levesque on June 6, 2017, when the man who killed him, 32-year-old Joshua Bredo, was sentenced to nine years in jail for manslaughter.
Because Bredo had already spent nearly six years in jail awaiting trial, he only had to spend another two behind bars. Or so Levesque’s family thought.
“He’s been out for almost two months and we didn’t even know, nobody told us,” said Levesque’s mother Stacey Thur who lives in Revelstoke.
Thur says after making calls recently she found out Bredo was granted early release in October, after serving 16 of the 24 months remaining in his sentence.
“I felt really disappointed and I feel like Daniel’s been done an injustice already and it felt like another one to be quite honest,” she said.
It was August 3, 2011 when Bredo struck Levesque three times with a hammer, with such force the hammer broke in two. Bredo then used a knife to stab himself then called 911 and claimed self defence.
The pair had been friends for just seven weeks but according to the courts, Bredo had developed an unhealthy infatuation for his friend, and the day Levesque confronted him about it was the day he died.
Bredo’s sentence also includes three years of probation, which includes conditions that prevent him from contacting Levesque’s family, using drugs or alcohol, or possessing weapons.
Thur says she’s disappointed with the legal system.
“I just feel robbed, I feel robbed again to be honest.”
BC Corrections says it only notifies living victims about an offender’s release if it involves domestic violence or a no-contact order. It says families who want updates on an offender’s status have to register with Victim Services.
April Lawrence
