A southern Alberta woman has been granted day parole after being sentenced for killing her mother in their Lethbridge home nearly two years ago.
Jessica Praill is being released from prison after serving more than two of her eight-year sentence. She will live in a halfway house for six months.
In April 2016, the then 28-year-old stabbed her mother while she was asleep in her north Lethbridge home.
Praill was initially charged with second-degree murder, but later that year pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The parole board decision stated she can’t drink alcohol, has to take medication and follow a treatment plan while at the halfway house.
The report said she was drinking daily up until the point of her mother’s death and struggled with mental-health issues.
It went on to say the drugs she was prescribed were not being taken.
Her case management team reported she had mental-health issues when she entered prison, but had seen no further issues once the correct intervention took place.
Family members described an increasingly strained relationship between Praill and her mom. The report cited Praill being a victim of emotional and physical abuse when she was younger.
Court documents from when she pleaded guilty said her mother, Shelley, went to her bedroom after a night of heavy drinking.
Praill grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her, resulting in lacerations to her heart.
Her sister Jennifer heard the commotion and took the knife away from Praill. Her mother was rushed to hospital, but died during emergency surgery.
Both the court documents and the parole board decision said Praill was cooperative with the police investigation and she has accepted responsibility.
Global News reached out to her sister for comment on Praill’s well-being and the parole board’s decision, but she has not agreed to speak with us.
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