A former Penticton woman who brutally beat her great-grandson's mother to death eight years ago has been granted day parole.
Grace Elinor Robotti, 73, was found guilty in 2017 of second-degree murder. Robotti tried to argue the act was self-defence during her lengthy trial in Kelowna, which was ultimately rejected by the jury and she was given a mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 10 years.
She killed Roxanne Louie, a 26-year-old member of the Osoyoos Indian Band, by hitting her with a crowbar 26 times during a fight at a Penticton home.
Her brother, Pier Robotti, helped her cover up the crime, disposing of the body in a remote area of Naramata. He was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for his part.
Robotti attempted to mislead family members and police by destroying evidence and reporting Louie missing.
Since Robotti has been incarcerated, she has been granted more freedom, previously given an escorted temporary absence (ETA) for administrative purposes in 2021 and given ETA permission to volunteer at an unnamed charitable thrift store in 2022.
The Parole Board of Canada stated Robotti was assessed as a minimum-security offender in February 2022 and has been housed at minimum-security since March 2022.
In December, the board ruled that Robotti should be granted day parole for a period of six months.
“In coming to a decision, the board reviewed your written submissions from July and October 2023. Two of these are letters of reference, and the other is from you personally,” reads the decision, dated Dec. 14, 2023.
“You acknowledge the harm your offence caused, you express concern for the victims, and discuss your interest in restorative justice. You continue to express remorse for the offence.”
While the board said the specifics of Robotti's offence are disturbing, they took into account that she has no previous criminal record and remained on bail for about two years without any breaches or reoffending while awaiting trial.
The board also reported that while in custody, Robotti's behaviour has been good, maintaining institutional employment with good reports of performance, participating in recommended programming with good reports of performance and successfully completing ETAs.
Robotti will be released to a community residential facility in an unnamed community. She is prohibited from having any direct or indirect contact with the victim's family and must follow the treatment plan as arranged by her parole officer.
At the time of Robotti's sentencing, Louie's family members were not happy. Louie's uncle, Dan Wilson, told Castanet in frustration at the time it was a "lesson in murder 101."
"Cover your tracks, go with your lawyer to turn yourself in, get rid of the murder weapon and [get] the lightest sentence possible here," he said.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, described the case as "another tragic page in the history of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls."
