Nicholas Rasberry, man who fatally stabbed Calgary teacher, granted full parole

Nicholas Rasberry, who stabbed his neighbour to death after a night of drinking, has been granted full, conditional parole.

Rasberry, now 37, was convicted of manslaughter in 2015 for the death of Calgary teacher Craig Kelloway, who was stabbed 37 times in Rasberry’s kitchen in 2013.

Rasberry maintained he was acting in self-defence and claimed Kelloway was threatening to rape him.

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In June of this year, Rasberry was granted day parole, with the parole board at the time saying his risk to the community was manageable.

In its December decision, the Parole Board of Canada imposed a number of conditions on Rasberry’s parole, including that he can’t consume alcohol or drugs, that he receive counselling for substance abuse and violence, report any intimate relationships or friendships with a parole officer and not have any contact with the victim’s family.

In its decision, the parole board said it reviewed both victim impact statements from Kelloway’s family, along with letters of support from people close to Rasberry.

Since being granted day parole in the spring, the parole board stated Rasberry started working with a friend’s company before getting a full-time job in the engineering field in October.

He also has been able to spend time with family and a “network of positive supports” while following COVID-19 public health guidelines. Rasberry has also completed a reintegration and life skills program, the board wrote.

In one-on-one bi-weekly sessions with a counsellor, Rasberry has been described as stable and able to demonstrate that he has “appropriate skills in dealing with stress.”

The board stated that by granting Rasberry full parole, it “does not lose sight of the nature and gravity of the index offence.”

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