N.S. woman convicted of murdering daughter in 2008 has day parole extended

Penny Boudreau is escorted from provincial court after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Karissa Boudreau, in Bridgewater, N.S., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

A Nova Scotia woman sentenced to life in prison for strangling her 12-year-old daughter is being granted six additional months of day parole.

Penny Boudreau killed her daughter Karissa on Jan. 27, 2008, initially claiming she’d run away after an argument outside a grocery store in their hometown of Bridgewater, N.S.

Karissa’s body was found two weeks later on the banks of the LaHave River.

Boudreau pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January 2009, saying she was worried her daughter would have come between her and her boyfriend.

Now in her early 50s, Boudreau was granted six months of day parole beginning in December 2025.

The Parole Board of Canada conducted a review to extend her day parole, which was granted for another six-month period.

According to a six-page decision from the board, she will not be allowed to contact certain members of the victim’s family.

Boudreau will also have to report all relationships and friendships with men, both sexual and non-sexual, and disclose if they have kids under the age of 16.

Boudreau will have to continue her mental health counselling, too.

The board decided Boudreau would not present undue risk to society, noting her guilty plea, church attendance, and efforts to improve her employability skills.

“You have participated in programming and have maintained a volunteer position, which will soon turn into a paying position,” said the board in its decision.

It rated her motivation and accountability levels as “high” with reintegration potential as “medium.”

The parole board says Boudreau has participated in escorted temporary absences since 2018, “all of which went ahead with no security concerns.”

“Extending your day parole for a further six months will allow your Case Management Team (CMT) to continue monitoring your progress, provide support, and ensure that you maintain the gains you have made,” reads the decision, addressed to Boudreau.

The parole board says local police are not opposed to the release plan.

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