Man who murdered his wife on busy Winnipeg street granted day parole

A man convicted of murdering his wife in broad daylight on a busy Winnipeg street nearly three decades ago has been granted day parole despite documents saying he has a moderate to high risk to re-offend.

Bruce Stewner, now 57, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his estranged wife Kelly Lynn, who was fatally stabbed on a median by Portage Avenue near Assiniboine Park in 1994.

Parole documents say Stewner chased Lynn down in broad daylight and repeatedly stabbed her in front of multiple people. The documents say Lynn, who had a restraining order against Stewner at the time, pleaded for him to stop.

The judge's comments from Stewner's trial described the attack as vicious, brutal, violent, and an act of revenge.

Stewner was handed a life sentence in 1995 with no chance of parole for 20 years.

On Nov. 28, 2022, Stewner was granted day parole for six months, according to Parole Board of Canada documents provided to CTV News Winnipeg.

“You have come to understand you are serving a life sentence and you realize you need to manage your thinking and control your emotions,” the Parole Board wrote.

“You have come to understand your risk factors and have developed skills to mitigate and manage your elevated emotions when they are triggered. The Board finds you have not been threatening for approximately a year and have demonstrated better emotional control and behaviour.”

Stewner was previously granted day parole in 2013, but it was rescinded after he used substances and did not report he was in relationships with two women.

He was granted day parole again in November 2016, but it was rescinded nine months later after he didn’t report an intimate relationship, broke his alcohol prohibition and allegedly threatened another woman, according to documents.

The Parole Board denied Stewner’s applications for day parole in 2020 and 2021.

The decision notes Stewner has a “moderate to high” risk to re-offend, and has put several conditions in place.

He cannot consume drugs or alcohol, cannot contact the family of Kelly Lynn and cannot contact a former partner “with whom you had a dysfunctional relationship that was not supportive of a successful reintegration,” the document reads, without the written approval of his parole supervisor.

Stewner also needs to report "all intimate sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with females" to his parole supervisor, along with any change in the status of the relationships.