Grace Elinor Robotti is led out of Penticton courthouse after a brief appearance Thursday.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

A Penticton woman who killed the mother of her great-grandson in 2015 will be able to periodically leave the prison where she’s being held to volunteer with a community organization that helps victims of crime.

The Parole Board of Canada has granted Grace Robotti, 71, escorted temporary absences for personal development and administrative purposes. For one of those absences, Robotti will be allowed to renew her driver’s licence and it would be valid until she’s eligible for day parole in 2024.

Robotti was convicted in 2017 for the second degree murder of Roxanne Louie.

With the absence granted for personal development, Robotti will be provided an opportunity to work at an undisclosed location to give back to the community and help victims of crime. The parole board says that the point will be to increase her level of victim empathy through work conducted for up to three days per week, between set business hours from Monday to Friday, for up to one year in duration. Each pass would be for a total of nine hours away from the institution, including travel time.

“The Correctional Service of Canada supports both forms of escorted temporary absences at this time,” the Parole Board of Canada said in a report.

“It is noted there have not been any institutional or security concerns related to (Robotti) and, therefore, (her) behaviour does not preclude (her) participation in the escorted temporary absences. “

Her risk is considered manageable in the circumstances laid out and the parole board said they would not constitute an undue risk of her reoffending.  

To reach a decision on whether Robotti was eligible for this type of release, the parole board looked not only at Robotti’s crime, for which she is serving a life sentence that started in 2017, but also her progress while in prison. 

A written submission from Robotti dated July 5 was also considered.

In it, the parole board said she acknowledged responsibility for the death of Roxanne Louie and the toll on her loved ones.

“You indicated you had to reconcile your violent actions with your personal perception of yourself and identified the thinking patterns that contributed to your offending,” the parole board wrote to Robotti.

“You also described skills and strategies you have learned to cope and your increased self-awareness of the factors that led to your violent behaviour and that could lead to harmful behaviour in the future.”

Louie was the ex-girlfriend of Robotti’s grandson and Robotti actively cared for their child, her great grandchild. In January 2015, after the two got into an argument, Louie threw a crowbar in Robotti's direction.

The two women got into a physical altercation and then Robotti’s brother went into the room and saw Louie on top of her with the crowbar raised in her hand, according to the parole board decision.

He tried to intervene and in the struggle, the crowbar fell to the ground. Robotti picked it up and repeatedly struck the victim in the head and face.

Following the murder, Robotti and her brother drove to a remote area and discarded Louie's body off the edge of a road. Robotti then worked the next morning to clean up the evidence, including blood, from her home.

Then they led the Mounties to believe that they had no idea where the young mother was.

Since being convicted and imprisoned in 2017, Robotti struggled at times to discuss the physical altercation between her and Louie, however, she recently said that at the time of the murder, she was exhausted physically and mentally, experienced shock and was reacting to bottled feelings of frustration.

She said she did not appreciate at the time that she had not taken care of her own health or the significance of Louie’s experiences of intergenerational trauma.

She said she misled police to protect her great grandchild, keep things normal and protect him from the experience of dealing with the police and the aftermath of the murder, the parole board said.

“You characterized your relationship with the victim as a rollercoaster, however, you said you were protective of her and wanted to help her and your family,” the parole board wrote to her.

“You took full responsibility for your offending and stated that you struggle with shame and reconciling what you did with who you thought you were; you described your actions as horrifying.

You demonstrated some insight into the factors that contributed to your offending, however, you noted that you are still in the process of reviewing your life experiences to gain a deeper understanding of thinking patterns and emotions that triggered your violent actions.”

Robotti said she wants to do the escorted absences so she can practice the skills she is learning, gain confidence and credibility, and give back to the community.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2021