A man convicted of conspiring to kill his mother and grandmother more than 30 years ago as a teen in Saanich had his day parole extended another four months.
Darren Gowen — formerly known as Darren Huenemann — was one of one of three teens convicted in the gruesome 1990 double murder.
Gowen, then 18, arranged for Mount Doug secondary classmates Derik Lord and David Muir to kill his mother and grandmother in her Tsawwassen home. Sharon Huenemann was 47 and her mother, Doris Leatherbarrow, was 69 when they were beaten and stabbed as they prepared to serve dinner.
All three men were convicted in 1992.
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Now 51, Gowen was first granted six months of day parole in August 2022 and had it extended several times.
In 1996, Gowen was also convicted of escaping and assault causing bodily harm. The latest extension by the Parole Board of Canada, dated Feb. 2, notes that it takes into account a Jan. 17 victim statement related to that escape.
“Regarding the additional convictions for which you received three years to be served concurrently with the current sentence, in 1995, you orchestrated your escape in the company of fellow inmates from a federal institution in British Columbia. You assaulted a staff member, stole a vehicle and engaged in a high-speed chase with police. … The victim is of the opinion that full parole is premature at this time,” the decision reads.
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The decision notes there is currently no recommendation regarding full parole.
Gowen remains under conditions to have no direct or indirect contact with any family members of the victims and not to associate or communicate with any person you know or have reason to believe is involved in criminal activity.
