P.E.I. man who killed wife in 1994 granted a 12-hour escorted absence from prison

A P.E.I. man serving a life sentence for killing his common-law wife has been granted a 12-hour escorted absence from prison, but told a parole board he's "not ready" for full parole, after more than 25 years behind bars.

Douglas Leo Beamish appeared at the hearing Tuesday by videolink from Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick, where he is serving a life sentence for the 1994 murder of Shirley Ann Duguay in Prince County.

The victim's sister, Marie Arsenault, was among the first people to speak at Tuesday's hearing.

"So many people in my family have suffered and are still suffering all these years later," she said. "The heart-wrenching domino effect of loss and pain will never go away."

Arsenault said her sister's murder triggered a series of family tragedies, including the untimely death of another sister after she turned to alcohol to deal with the pain of Duguay's death, the suicide of that sister's husband, and a series of 13 heart attacks suffered by the women's father.

"I am asking — if the offender is released — he not be allowed to live in the Prince County area of Prince Edward Island," said Arsenault.

Duguay's body was found in a shallow grave a year after she disappeared from her home on Oct. 3, 1994. Beamish was convicted in 1996 of second-degree murder.

At Tuesday's hearing, Beamish took responsibility for Duguay's death — something he had not done before.

"I don't know even where to begin to calculate what harm I've done," he said. "I've done more harm to Shirley's family, all over her extended family… all of Prince Edward Island. There's no way to gauge what impact this has had…

"The investigation [in 1994] went on and on and that only compounded their grief and suffering," said Beamish.

High risk of more violence

Beamish remains at a high risk of re-committing criminal acts of family violence, according to the parole board, and his behaviour and understanding of his actions still require improvement before full parole can be considered.

Beamish told the parole board he's "not ready" for full parole and did not request it during Tuesday's hearing.

It was easier to blame everybody else. I didn't want to look at what I had done.— Douglas Leo Beamish

One parole board member pressed Beamish to explain why he took so long to admit to Duguay's murder. At a previous parole hearing in 2013, Beamish denied killing her.

"It was easier to blame everybody else," Beamish answered. "I didn't want to look at what I'd done and the damage I'd caused."

"What changed?" asked the parole board member.

"I had three heart attacks," said Beamish. "I suffered kidney failure and I nearly died a couple of times. When you get to that stage, you realize you need to clean up your past, so that's what I'm doing. I'm cleaning up my past."

Beamish, 63, was seated beside a parole officer at Tuesday's hearing. He wore eyeglasses and a blue T-shirt. His head was shaved and he had a grey mustache and medium-length beard.

Now in minimum security at Dorchester 

Beamish is currently housed in the minimum security area of Dorchester Penitentiary. He was transferred to Dorchester last December, after serving his sentence at various prisons, including institutions in Ontario and B.C.

The parole board noted two incidents in recent years that raised red flags:

• In 2019 Beamish threw a butcher's knife while preparing food in the kitchen of a minimum-security residential facility.
• In 2020, he staged a hunger strike to complain about food he was receiving from prison staff.

However, in the end, the parole board did approve a 12-hour escorted temporary absence for Beamish at a still-undetermined date.

Intends to tour halfway house in Moncton

Beamish told the board he will use the 12-hour pass to visit a halfway house in the Moncton area, as he works toward possible full parole at some future date.

"When that time does come, I'm looking at the Moncton area. I'm not interested in going back to Prince Edward Island," he said.

The parole board ordered Beamish to be escorted by a corrections officer and a parole officer during the 12-hour absence from prison. He's also ordered to have no contact with the victim's family.

The Correctional Service of Canada had previously granted escorted temporary absences for Beamish for medical and compassionate reasons.