A Quebec man says he’s relieved that his daughter’s killer is staying behind bars and won’t be a threat to the public again.
On Tuesday morning, Gregory Bromby appeared before a parole board in Victoria, B.C., and was denied parole for a third time.
Bromby was 17 years old in May 1994 when he broke into an apartment in Dorval, Que., and murdered 15-year-old Tara Manning.
The girl was raped, stabbed 51 times and smothered with a pillow.
The parole board handed down its decision within minutes of the hearing, denying Bromby’s application for escorted day release to attend therapy sessions.
“We’re very, very happy,” said Carole Manning, Tara’s mother. “The public at large will be safe again, for the time being.”
WATCH: Quebec man prepares for parole hearing of daughter’s killer
According to Jazmin Manning, Tara’s brother, Bromby was asked by the parole board to describe what was going through his mind the night of the murder.
Bromby described how he entered through an unlocked door and saw Tara going to her room. He followed and raped her in her bedroom. When she said she was going to tell on him, Bromby said he became angry and killed her “to teach her a lesson.”
Tara’s father, mother and brother all made the trip to Victoria for Tuesday’s hearing and presented victim impact statements.
“We shut him down,” said Michael Manning, Tara’s father. “And that’s why we came.”
The family says their statements may have had an impact on the parole board but not to Bromby himself.
“He had zero remorse,” said Jazmin. “He didn’t apologize once.”
Bromby was asked what he did after committing the murder. He said that two or three hours later, he started asking himself what he had done but then went back to his regular life.
READ MORE: Board denies parole to Tara Manning’s killer — he still has issues with women
The Manning murder led to important changes in Canada’s justice system. At the time, police were unable to force suspects to give DNA samples.
In 1995, Michael led a national campaign and convinced Ottawa to change the law.
By giving police the power to test suspects, Michael says Tara has left an important legacy. The current law not only solves crimes but also prevents more crimes by putting criminals behind bars, he added.
“Tara, in her death, has helped thousands,” he said. “Just by keeping those people off the streets.”
Bromby is being held at the William Head Institution southwest of Victoria. It’s a minimum-security facility on a peninsula bordered by the Pacific Ocean. Prisoners live in small units. The facility also has two tennis courts.
“It doesn’t feel like a prison,” said Jazmin.
The trip across the country was difficult for the family. It meant dredging up terrible memories.
“This is reliving a nightmare,” said Michael. “A nightmare that I found at 6:20 in the morning on the fifth of May in 1994.”
For Tara’s mother, it meant remembering how her daughter was found dead in her bed with Mickey Mouse sheets and her homework on her nightstand.
“I come to these parole hearings for her,” said Carole. “I don’t believe that Gregory is ready to be on the streets. I don’t believe that he completely understands the tragedy that he has caused.”