"We are never going to let this go."
Nearly a decade after a local South Okanagan Indigenous woman was beaten to death with a crowbar by her son's great-grandmother, members of the community are outraged that her murderer has been given day parole.
Roxanne Louie, an Osoyoos Indian Band member, was just 26 when she was killed. Her body was discovered in January 2015 in a remote area near Naramata, and investigation eventually led to murder charges against Grace Robotti.
Robotti argued during trial that her actions in a Penticton home — hitting Louie 26 times with a crowbar — were self-defence.
Those arguments failed, and she was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2017, and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for ten years.
Hence the surprise of Louie family members and others in the local close-knit Indigenous community when they learned 73-year-old Robotti had been granted day parole in late 2023.
According to a Parole Board of Canada decision, Robotti's behaviour while incarcerated has been good, and she has no criminal record prior to the murder. The decision states she will be released to a community residential facility in an unnamed community.
In the eyes of many in the South Okanagan Indigenous community, the parole decision is just another injustice of many that Indigenous victims, particularly women and girls, face in Canada.
On Friday, Jan. 5, dozens of protesters marched down Main Street in Penticton, some carrying signs emblazoned with slogans like "No more stolen sisters" and "Justice for Roxanne."
They gathered at the steps of the courthouse, listening to community leaders.
Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band expressed his frustration that Robotti had been given parole so quickly after a supposed "life" sentence.
"[Families of victims] have to live with this forever and ever," Gabriel said.
"Our justice system is so damn flawed ... It's something that needs to be fixed."
Dan Wilson of the Okanagan Indian Band also spoke, describing Louie as a beautiful young woman with dreams and talents, who had worked hard to move past personal troubles and had been studying at a fashion school in Vancouver at the time of her murder.
Joan Phillip, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and wife of PIB member and President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Stewart Phillip, called the parole board ruling an "injustice," especially since many in the community learned about it in the news.
"At the very least, the nation ought to have been informed, the Nation ought to have been informed, the family ought to have been informed," she said.
Her husband also spoke, sending out a warning to the justice system.
"When our people are brutally murdered, we never forget," Phillip said.
"We are not going to let this go. We are never going to let this go ... We absolutely reject [the parole board's] decision in regards to this."
Plans are in the works to petition the board to reverse the decision.
Robotti was assessed as a minimum-security offender in February 2022 and has been housed at minimum-security since March 2022.
The December day parole ruling will stand for six months, subject to renewal or revocation.
