'Why did they let him out?' Fiancée left with questions, grief after arrest in stabbing
Candace Woloshyn says she is trying to be strong for her son, while grieving his father's death
Last December, Candace Woloshyn went from planning her wedding social to planning the funeral for the man she loved.
"I'm 26 and I'm a widow," she said. "It's been a struggle, every day, trying to stay strong for your son and at the same time trying to grieve and deal with everything else."
Her fiancé, Ricardo Hibi, was stabbed to death on Dec. 17 in the foster home he ran on Winnipeg's McGee Street. Kane Ashley Antonio Moar, 21, was arrested in January and faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with Hibi's death.
Hibi and Woloshyn were engaged for four years, and had a son together — now six years old. Woloshyn and Hibi were preparing for a wedding in August.
Two weeks ago, she said her grieving process started all over again when she learned the man charged with her fiancé's death was released from prison two months prior, with a second-degree murder charge already pending in connection with an in-custody death at Stony Mountain Institution.
"I just want to know why — why did they let him out?" she said. "This could have been prevented in so many ways."
At the time of Hibi's killing, Moar was under the supervision of the Correctional Service of Canada, serving the remainder of a 31-month sentence in the community following his statutory release.
Offenders are, in most cases, given statutory release after serving two-thirds of a federal sentence.
Moar was given a number of strict conditions to follow for the remainder of his sentence, including living at a halfway house, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and not associating with gang members.
An inmate can be detained for the remainder of their sentence if they're deemed a threat to public safety. Corrections Canada can order the Parole Board of Canada to do a detention review — something one of Hibi's friends wishes had been done.
"To think that a body of the government could be so negligent and not do their due diligence," said Agnes Piotrowski, Hibi's best friend since childhood.
The parole board said it was not asked to review Moar's file prior to his October release. It was asked to prepare the conditions for him to follow while in the community.
The seven-page report described him as a high risk to violently reoffend. It also said Moar is comfortable with a "criminal lifestyle."
That document also said Moar was implicated in death of another inmate in August and he would be charged. Last month, Moar was officially charged with second-degree murder in connection with the inmate's death.
"It's just a matter of time before it happens again," said Piotrowski.
"Who is going to say, 'Hey, we are going to be responsible for this, we are actually going to do something to stop perpetually letting criminals out on the streets when we know they shouldn't be out there?'"
Internal investigation underway: CSC
Corrections Canada said it launched an internal investigation in January.
In an email, a spokesperson for the department said such investigations are intended to promote the "safety of the public, victims, staff and inmates by ensuring that timely and appropriate actions are taken following an incident."
The investigation boards are "composed of members with expertise related to the incident to be investigated … board members with operational backgrounds as well as a member from the community," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The board has six months to complete the investigation and submit its report for review. An extension can be granted if the investigation is complex, but the spokesperson said the investigation team has not asked for more.
'Tragic irony'
Hibi was killed in the foster home he ran for at-risk boys. Woloshyn said as the foster dad, he lived at the home with the kids.
She said Hibi had been running the home for a couple of years and she spent a lot of time there with their son.
"It was like a second home, and he knew Dad was always there taking care of these kids because they didn't have their own place to call home," she said.
Piotrowski said her best friend was passionate about creating a better future for teenage boys.
"I think it was just him knowing what it was like to be a young man out in the streets," she said.
"We can pretend that Winnipeg is not a dangerous place to live, but it is when you are a young kid out in the streets trying to survive and there is nobody out there to support you."
"He wanted to be that for them, because he knew what it felt like," said Piotrowski.
The women made it clear Moar was not, nor ever was, one of Hibi's foster kids. Police said previously it's believed Moar knew one of the boys living at the home.
"And it is a tragic irony that [Ricardo] lost his life trying to help people," said Piotrowski.
