Victim's family 'appalled' killer ex-cop granted absences from jail

Photo: Castanet Staff

Keith Wiens

The sister of a Penticton woman murdered by her ex-cop fiancé says she’s outraged and appalled he’s been granted escorted absences from prison.

“He doesn’t care about us, all he cares about is, he wants his freedom,” said Donna Irwin. “I don’t think he should ever see the light of day, and I will fight him until he sees his last breath.”

Irwin’s sister, Lynn Kalmring, was shot and killed by Keith Wiens, 64, inside the couple’s Penticton home Aug. 16, 2011. Wiens, a retired Summerland RCMP officer, was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 13 years.

Last week, the Parole Board of Canada granted Wiens up to 40 hours a month of escorted absences from Joyceville Institution, the minimum-security prison in Kingston, Ont. where he is being held. The absences will be in the presence of a Corrections Canada employee or volunteer to sites and activities approved by the warden.

Irwin said she was “shocked and appalled” to find out through media reports Wiens has been granted absences, after victims services appears to have failed to inform them before documents were sent to the media.

“My family is just tired of this going on and on,” she said, explaining she has been writing “constant” letters over the past eight years opposing Wiens’ requests involving his incarceration.

During his trial, Wiens admitted to shooting Kalmring but claimed he acted in self-defence during an argument in the bedroom, something the jury rejected. Wiens has continued to maintain his innocence, attempting to appeal his conviction until he was finally dismissed in late 2016.

It took until September 2018, during a psychological assessment, for him to admit any iota of responsibility for the murder.

“You now admit you could have done more to avoid the shooting, by leaving the house, not having a loaded gun accessible and perhaps not drinking,” the parole board said, adding Weins remains a “high risk” to reoffend when it comes to domestic violence.

“He will hurt or murder another woman, I’m 100 per cent sure, and I could be one of those women because he’s not happy with me,” Irwin said.

From behind bars, Weins battled the Kalmring family in civil court over Lynn’s estate up until just last year, eventually taking half of it, and leaving Irwin with $60,000 in legal fees.

“You don’t think for a minute that he gives a shit about going out and raking up leaves, or helping the community,” Irwin said. “He wants to get out of that prison that he’s in to get some fresh air and sunshine — well he took all that away from Lynn, she doesn’t get that anymore.”

Between the civil case and constantly having to advocate against absences through the Parole Board, Irwin says Kalmring’s family has struggled to heal in the eight years since the murder.

Victims services provided each family member with just 36 hours of counselling, Irwin said, explaining the victim’s daughter still struggles getting to work some days and cannot afford counselling for herself.

Weins, meanwhile, continues to collect his RCMP pension and receive counselling and healthcare on the taxpayer dime, something that infuriates Irwin, “he gets the best everything and we get nothing.”

Irwin is also unhappy Weins was transferred to a minimum-security prison just three years into his life sentence.

She is encouraging anyone outraged with the recent Parole Board decision to write in to the federal government, or the Federal Ombudsman, to voice their opinion.