It has been nearly a decade since Roxanne Louie was brutally murdered in Penticton, British Columbia. To honor her memory and protest a recent decision by the parole board, a march was organized in her name.
Dozens of people, including local chiefs, drummers, and singers, participated in the march to the Penticton Courthouse. The convicted killer, Grace Elinor Robotti, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2015 killing of Louie. Robotti was found guilty of second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
Louie, who was visiting Penticton from Vancouver, was killed during a fight over the care of a three-year-old boy. Robotti claimed self-defense during the trial, but her defense was rejected by the jury. She brutally beat Louie over the head with a crowbar 26 times, then cleaned up the bloody scene while her brother disposed of the body in the woods near Naramata.
Despite being sentenced to life in prison, with no chance for full parole for 10 years, the Parole Board of Canada granted Robotti day parole last month. Shocked by the decision, the family and the community organized the march in the hope of sparking change within the court system.
The family and community were not notified of the parole board’s decision, and those who made victim impact statements were not informed. The organizers hope the march will bring awareness and empathy for the tragedy that has affected their lives forever. This case has sparked a conversation about the flaws in the justice system that continue to fail victims and their families.