Stepmother convicted of murdering 6-year-old Meika Jordan granted absences from prison

One of two people convicted of abusing, confining and killing six-year-old Meika Jordan of Calgary has been granted escorted temporary absences from prison less than 10 years after the court case ended.

Meika’s stepmother, Marie Magoon, was convicted of first-degree murder along with her father, Spencer Jordan, and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

The Supreme Court of Canada upheld that decision on Nov. 27, 2017.

2:05 Supreme Court upholds first-degree murder convictions for father and stepmother who killed Meika Jordan

Now, the Parole Board of Canada is allowing Magoon to leave the minimum-security facility in Quebec where she’s serving her sentence for eight hours a month to spend time with her brother.

In granting her request, the board said it’s “desirable for her to be out of the penitentiary to start gradually reintegrating into society.”

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Meika’s mother and stepfather, Kyla and Brian Woodhouse, said they were shocked that Magoon is even allowed to apply for these types of accommodations so early on in her sentence, and they’re even more upset by the parole board’s decision to grant the escorted temporary absences (ETAs).

“It’s unfathomable. I didn’t even have words,” Kyla Woodhouse said. “The feeling that we got was that this is a stepping stone for her to get released, and that isn’t fair. You know, where is our justice?”

“The message it sends to me is that offenders do and likely always will have more rights than anybody else when it comes to the justice system, especially victims,” Brian Woodhouse said.

During the hearing, the parole board said Magoon exhibits exemplary behaviour and noted her risk is considered low in terms of violence.

“The most disgusting part, there are so many members of our family who would love to spend one more hour with the life that was taken from us,” Kyla said. “In all honesty, if anything, it just pushes us more.”

The absences are granted for one year, with one ETA of eight hours allowed every month.

You can learn more about this decision on the latest episode of the Crime Beat podcast, available May 26 on Amazon Music and all other podcast apps June 2.