Man accused of killing Manitoba woman in 2007 had violent past: parole document

WINNIPEG -

A B.C. man recently charged in the cold-case death of a woman in Manitoba had his statutory release revoked after he was in prison for assaulting two women, a parole document has detailed.

This week, RCMP charged Kevin Queau, 42, of Vancouver with second-degree murder in the killing of Crystal Saunders, a 24-year-old Metis woman.

Her body was found northwest of Winnipeg in 2007.

Police credited advancements in DNA technology in making the arrest.

The document from the Parole Board of Canada says Queau was on statutory release in 2019, after serving time for the assaults, when it was revoked because he failed to abide by some of his release conditions.

"It is the Board's opinion that while you may have participated in some positive endeavours during your release, your deceptive and manipulative behaviour overshadowed any positive gains hoped from your correctional plan," says the board decision from Sept. 18, 2019.

"The Board is satisfied that you will, by reoffending before the expiration of your sentence according to law, present an undue risk to society."

The decision leads back to 2015, when Queau was sentenced to five years in prison for the attacks on the two women.

In one case, the victim was "violently sexually assaulted" for hours in a motel room, says the report.

In the second, Queau committed aggravated assault at the victim's residence, with her children inside. The two were having consensual sex until he slapped and choked her into unconsciousness, says the document.

Statutory release allows federal offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence to be released from prison, subject to supervision and conditions.

As part of his statutory release, Queau was ordered not to consume drugs and alcohol, avoid bars and other drinking establishments and report his relationships. He was also restricted from using a computer or accessing the internet, purchasing or obtaining pornography and being in the company of sex trade workers.

The document says there were multiple violations of these prohibitions, including lying about his relationship struggles and contacting other women and escort sites.

Sex offender assessments completed in 2015 and again in 2017 found Queau posed a moderate to high risk for sexual reoffending and a moderate risk for violent recidivism, says the report.

It says Queau's family denied their Metis heritage. He was raised in a positive home, but his parents became strict and withdrawn after a family member died by suicide.

Queau was sexually assaulted by a male relative and left home at 17, the report says.

As an adult, Queau experienced loneliness and "engaged in an unhealthy social lifestyle" by visiting bars to "access vulnerable women under the influence of alcohol."

Police said Queau is originally from Winnipeg and went to school in the Manitoba capital but also spent time in Ontario and across Western Canada.

Police described Saunders as someone who was well-liked and friendly but also struggled and was exploited.

Police said there was no evidence to suggest Queau was a suspect in any other homicide, but they were continuing to examine any possible connections between him and other unsolved crimes.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2024.