A man serving a life sentence for first-degree murder will return to Metchosin's minimum-security William Head Institution after successfully appealing the prison officials' decision to move him to a medium-security institution for allegedly kissing a correctional manager.
Treyvonne Willis, who is serving a life sentence for his role in a 2012 murder-for-hire plot that killed Kaila Tran in Winnipeg, has been staying at the minimum-security prison at William Head since November 2023, however he was involuntarily moved to the medium‑security unit of Mountain Institution in February 2025.
"On the evening of February 10, 2025, Mr. Willis was purportedly observed by a staff member engaging in an embrace with a female correctional manager and kissing her in a locked and darkened room," noted a decision written by Justice Eric Gottardi, though he did note Willis denied kissing her in subsequent interviews.
After he was transferred to the Agassiz-based institution, he put forward a rebuttal letter, arguing that the manager initiated the "personal conversations" that lead to the alleged kissing; that as an inmate serving a life sentence, he is in an emotionally vulnerable state, and that the power imbalance between staff and inmates should be recognized, and that it is unreasonable to transfer him higher security institution as a result of the allegations that were unproven.
A warden's review board hearing was held in March to address the recommendation to place him in medium-security, where Willis made his case to a warden.
"Initially, Mr. Willis did not believe he was doing anything wrong and that his interactions with the [manager] were acceptable. He later admitted he felt uncomfortable with the amount of time the [manager] spent with him and her continued requests to spend time together," noted the decision.
The board stayed with their decision to reclassify his security level from minimum to medium, prompting Willis to take the wardens at Mountain Institution and William Head Institution to court.
The justice found that the warden did not make a clear finding of fact as to whether or not a kiss actually occurred, that the warden did not "meaningfully" discuss Willis' suggestion to transfer him to another minimum‑security institution, and that the warden failed to grapple with the power imbalance between Willis and the manager.
"That question cannot properly be answered until the issue of the power imbalance is considered and applied to the facts of the case," noted the decision. "At this stage, the fundamental flaw in the impugned decisions is not necessarily the lack of a rational chain of reasoning; but rather, it is in the failure to give proper effect to the evidence and to expressly grapple with the petitioner's central argument."
The justice ordered that Willis be immediately released from Mountain Institution, as of July 2, and returned to a minimum‑security institution.
