Toronto woman who killed stepson in 1998 denied day parole

A Toronto woman convicted of killing her seven-year-old stepson in 1998 has been denied day parole.

Marcia Dooley sought to be released to a halfway house roughly 10 months after she was granted four unescorted, five-day absences from prison to help prepare her for life in the community.

However, the board noted today she was not able to complete those stints away from the minimum-security prison due to complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a hearing that took place through video and teleconference, the panel said the unescorted absences were an important step in Dooley’s eventual reintegration, noting she does not have community support for day parole at this time.

The panel concluded that while Dooley is “on the right path,” she needs to be able to engage with the community through unescorted absences before moving on to day parole.

During the hearing, Dooley, now 50, said she has learned to better manage her emotions during her 19 years behind bars, and is ready to “go back in the community and be a better person.”

Dooley and her husband were convicted in 2002 of second-degree murder for the death of his son, Randal.

They were both sentenced to life in prison, with Dooley able to apply for parole after 18 years and her husband after 13.

During their trial, court heard that Randal was brutally abused for months after he and his brother came from Jamaica to live with their father and stepmother in Toronto in 1997.

Randal weighed only 41 pounds when he died in 1998, and had 13 fractured ribs, a lacerated liver, multiple brain injuries and bruises all over his body, court heard.

In the end, the court found Marcia Dooley was the one who fatally struck Randal and carried out most of the abuse, while her husband allowed it to happen.

The couple tried to challenge their conviction, but the appeal was dismissed in 2009.

Dooley told the hearing Wednesday that the pair has since divorced and has not spoken in the years after.