Ont. woman convicted of torturing and killing Orillia man in 2010 granted limited freedom
Warning: Readers may find some details in this article disturbing.
A Coldwater woman convicted of brutally torturing and killing a man in 2010 has been granted a little more freedom.
Faye Higgins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2013, years after Gord Evans' lifeless body was discovered inside the bathroom of his Orillia home with 18 stab wounds to his neck, back and chest and a ligature mark around his neck.
Higgins was sentenced to life behind bars with no chance of parole for 14 years after confessing the murder to undercover officers.
The Coldwater woman, now 54, has been granted day parole for six months at a community-based residential facility, pending a bed's availability.
She can apply for full parole in four years.
At the time of the murder, Higgins was a personal support worker caring for 58-year-old Evans, who lived with physical challenges.
The court heard she offered to give Evans a haircut in the bathroom and then tortured him for three hours before killing him.
At the time, Higgins said a boy known to both she and Evans claimed Evans sexually assaulted him while babysitting.
Those allegations were never proven in court.
The parole board noted Higgins took the law into her own hands that day in June 2010, "acted impulsively," and tortured and killed the victim, causing lasting harm to his family.
The board added she was driven by her emotions, "made poor decisions and did not consider the consequences" of her actions.
Last year, Higgins was psychologically assessed and deemed to be a low risk to re-offend.
Higgins, who had a history of criminal behaviour, including drug trafficking charges and assault, reported being "physically and verbally abused" by her past partners.
She must abide by a series of conditions, including ongoing anger management treatment, reporting relationships and friendships with men to her parole supervisor, and having no contact with the victim's family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.