Serial killer Dellen Millard, who murdered Tim Bosma, Laura Babcock, moved to medium security prison

Serial killer Dellen Millard has been moved from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security facility in Ontario, CBC News has learned.

That decision follows a similar move from co-conspirator Mark Smich, who was transferred to a medium-security facility back in 2021.

The news has left the families of the pair’s victims — Hamilton man Tim Bosma and Toronto woman Laura Babcock — reeling and demanding answers as to why such a move would occur, given the severity of Millard and Smich’s crimes and the amount of time left on their sentences. 

Bosma’s widow, Sharlene, and his parents, Hank and Mary, said in a joint statement to CBC News that they were disgusted to learn of Millard’s move to medium security this fall, following Smich’s move years earlier.

“If a three-time convicted 1st-degree murderer is rewarded for ‘good behaviour’ in the Canadian penal system and moved to a lower security prison, who then is filling the maximum security prisons? White collar criminals?” the statement reads. “Does our government really see them as the largest threat to society’s safety?”

“Such a move by our ‘justice’ system is an abhorrent transgression, offending all manner of common sense.”

Linda Babcock, Laura’s mother, told CBC News in an interview that these moves have done nothing but reopen old wounds and disrupt her family’s peace of mind. 

“We’re right back to where we were at the start, honestly,” she said. “I would like to see people that have done these violent crimes serve their full time where they should be — in maximum security.”

Pair convicted of multiple murders

Millard, a Toronto man, was convicted of first-degree murder in Bosma’s death in 2016, alongside Smich, from Oakville, Ont. The pair was similarly convicted of first-degree murder in Babcock’s death in 2017. 

Millard was also convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his father, Wayne, in 2018, as well as found guilty of assault causing bodily harm in connection with a stabbing in prison in 2023.

Linda Babcock, left, stands next to her husband Clayton outside court in Toronto after Dellen Millard and Mark Smich were found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of their daughter, Laura. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) would not confirm the pair’s move to medium security when contacted by CBC News, saying they are unable to disclose “personal information” about offenders except in circumstances where it is a matter of public safety.

“Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families,” said spokesperson Esther Mailhot, in a statement. “We know that each and every contact with them, especially regarding an offender’s case can be unsettling.” 

“We engage with victims at various points of an offender’s sentence, based on a victim’s chosen preferences, and provide them with opportunities to voice their concerns, which are considered in our decision-making.” 

But both families in this instance say they feel like their concerns weren’t heeded.

“Corrections Canada disregarded the feedback provided by our families in response to the possibility of such a move, instead giving a condescending pat on the head to the victims’ families, and carrying forward anyway,” the statement from Bosma’s loved ones reads. 

“If Corrections Canada [has] no intention of heeding the pleas of victims and their families, what then is the point of forcing them to revisit the trauma caused by the individual incarcerated? In our case, that individual is a psychopath monster.”

Linda Babcock says she’s asked federal officials for answers, but hasn’t gotten any response.

“What crime do you have to commit to serve your time in maximum security?” she said.

Public safety is ‘paramount consideration,’ CSC says

According to the CSC’s website, Canada’s maximum security prisons are designed to house inmates who present a greater threat to public safety, require a higher degree of supervision and/or have a higher chance of escape attempts. Movement and association privileges inside those facilities are “very restricted.”

Medium security institutions, meanwhile, “provide an environment that encourages inmates to be more responsible for day-to-day life,” according to the website. That means that movement, association and privileges are “moderately restricted,” which allows for “more interaction among inmates.”

Sharlene Bosma, with her family and that of her late husband Tim Bosma, makes a statement along with Tim’s parents, Mary, left, and Hank. (Peter Power/The Canadian Press)

In her statement on behalf of the CSC, Mailhot said that in all of the organization’s decisions, “public safety remains our paramount consideration.”

She also said that the CSC is legally required to reassess security classification for its inmates at least every two years. 

Decisions on moving inmates are based on assessment tools, the “professional judgment of specialized staff” and psychological evaluations, she said, while also considering factors like escape risk and “institutional adjustment.” 

“Transfers only occur when it is determined that an offender can be safely managed at a different security level,” she said. “At any time an inmate may be transferred back to a higher-security institution if deemed necessary, to ensure the safety of the public or the institution.”

All that is of little comfort to the families of Millard and Smich’s victims, however.

“Their quality of life has improved,” Babcock said. “Ours hasn’t.”

The CSC says both Millard and Smich are eligible to apply for day parole in 2036, and full parole in 2039.

Mailhot said that while the pair will be eligible for parole at that time, those dates are “by no means a guarantee of release.”