Wiens finally confesses to murder | News

The sister of the Penticton woman brutally murdered 13 years ago by retired RCMP officer Keith Wiens said she will never stop fighting for her sister until she dies … or when Wiens dies.

Shelley Pertelson attended a special hearing on Nov. 22 where Wiens applied to the Parole Board of Canada for three unaccompanied passes – one for seven days, a second for 10 days and a third for 15 days – by delivering a heartfelt note to the victim Statement to the board.

While Vienna’s board ultimately approved his request for a 7- and 10-day unaccompanied pass, they rejected his request for a 15-day unaccompanied pass, she said.

And for the first time since Wiens killed her sister Lynn Kalmring, 55, in cold blood in Penticton on Aug. 16, 2011, he finally admitted he was solely responsible for her death.

He also admitted to being a “coward” for trying to put a knife in her hand and claimed he acted in self-defense, Pertelson said in a telephone interview from her Salmon Arm home.

Wiens acknowledged that “the courts got it right” when they finally admitted that he murdered her sister after an argument at their home 13 years ago, Pertelson said.

“I can’t reveal where he will go. I was told not to do this, so I won’t do it. There are a lot of conditions placed on him,” Pertelson said.

She has not yet received precise details about the regulations that will apply during his unaccompanied departure, but is confident that Wiens does not like to follow the rules and cannot adhere to strict conditions, she said.

It was difficult to read her victim impact statement to the parole board because it brings back so many heartbreaking memories, but she is glad she did it, Pertelson said.

“Since this happened, I have made it very clear that the minimum life sentence (in prison) should be 25 years,” she said. “In my victim impact statement, I just reiterated that I believe he should not be released on full parole until he has served the full 25 years.”

All she can do is stay in touch with parole board officials and make sure they know that she and other family members will take the necessary steps to address their opposition to his attempt to become a free man to express herself, she said.

“All we can do is wait for him to apply for something next time,” she said. “We just hope he makes a mistake somewhere before that happens.”

The fact that Wiens was released on bail for murder just 13 years ago still bothers her, Pertelson said.

“He was released on bail and we weren’t even involved in the decision,” she said. “He posted a $50,000 bond. His brother had to come from Ontario and live with him to vouch for him. They didn’t get along and got into an argument because they are both arrogant people and his brother returned to Ontario without notifying anyone. So he brought his 95-year-old father to take care of him, which sounds crazy, and it was.

“When the police searched for him, they found that no one lived in the house with him. He was arrested again, returned to custody and has been in custody ever since.”

Pertelson said she is confident Wiens will not be able to abide by the parole board’s conditions.

“I really hope so,” she said. “We all hope so. The other result is death. Those are the only two things that will satisfy us at this point. I have nothing else to hope for.”

When Wiens becomes eligible for full parole in 2026, she and other family members will travel to Ontario to give victim impact statements in person to the parole board, she said.

“We want to be there in person as long as the parole board allows,” she said.

While the unaccompanied passes allow him to move freely, including setting up a bank account and going to church, he still must adhere to strict daily requirements, she said.

“He has to stay in a halfway house,” she said. “He has to take courses. He can’t travel around and do whatever he wants without reporting to anyone. If he is told he can leave for an hour, it is best to be back in an hour or he will be reported and taken back into custody. There are very strict rules for him.”

She had close friends who talked to her about “letting go” and not getting involved with Wien and his quest for freedom, but she wasn’t ready for that, Pertelson said.

Back in the summer of 2013, after Wiens was found guilty of second-degree murder, the judge in attendance said Wiens had acted out of anger and “fueled by alcohol” after evidence was presented. Wiens and Kalmring had regularly argued about money in recent weeks and months before she was killed.

During the trial, Wiens was heard shooting Kalmring at close range in the face and then sticking a knife in her hand in a feeble attempt to defend herself before officers arrived at the scene.

The parole board’s decision said Vienna’s alibi and the resulting allegations of guilt were problematic.

“You spread falsehoods and presented different versions of what actually happened, including the narrative that you acted in self-defense when the victim attacked you with a knife,” the decision says. “Unsurprisingly, your case management team questioned your openness, your level of accountability, and your perceived benefits.”

The fact that Wiens has finally taken full responsibility for his actions is a big step in the right direction.

“You withdrew the self-defense version and stated that you acted out of reactive frustration, which was aggravated by your intoxication,” the decision says. “You also admitted that you placed the knife in the victim’s hand to support your self-defense motive.”

“You spared no one in your web of deception, including the victim whom you persistently blamed, her family who had to defend and advocate for her, the police who you claimed mishandled the investigation, the courts (Correctional Service of Canada). ) and the board,” the decision states.

“Playing with the truth to such an extent negatively impacts your transparency, credibility, authenticity and trustworthiness.”

Despite their concerns, the board approved the unaccompanied passports, noting that Wiens has complied with all rules and regulations on dozens of accompanied passports in recent years.

“The committee considers that you do not pose an undue risk to society by relapsing while away.”

Kalmring’s daughter, Brandy Cummings, told The Herald, angry and worried that her mother’s killer could soon walk free.

“It just causes fear, so much fear,” she said. “Your blood runs cold for a second and here it is. He’s alive and my mother isn’t, and now he wants to be free.

“It breaks my heart. The damage his actions have caused to our family continues. It’s a huge ripple effect he’s caused in my family. All these years later it’s still there. Because of this, we never had a chance of healing. We always knew this day would come.”

Wiens is a retired Mountie who ended his career as officer in charge of the Summerland detachment. In retirement, he took a part-time job as a bus driver for the Okanagan Skaha School District 67.

Kalmring was now a popular member of the community. She worked in nursing homes and her daughter remembers Lynn inviting downtrodden strangers to her house for dinner on Christmas Day. Shortly after a death, a “Take Back the Night Walk” was dedicated to her in Penticton.