The man convicted of murdering RCMP Const. Christopher Worden in Hay River in 2007 has been granted what’s known as “escorted temporary absences.”
The Parole Board of Canada on March 11 approved an application by Emrah Bulatci for six such occasions.
NNSL Media received a copy of the board’s decision on Monday morning.
In its decision, the parole board stated that Bulatci does not “present an undue risk to society; it is desirable for (Bulatci) to be absent from the penitentiary; his behaviour while under sentence does not preclude approving the absence and a structured plan for his absence has been prepared.”
The board also stated that no special conditions will be placed on any of his excursions, which the board described as an “opportunity to participate in specific ceremonies and teaching which are not available in an institutional setting and to give back to the community.”
Each of Bulatci’s six absences will happen between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during a weekday. Bulatci will reportedly be escorted by a designated staff member and he will proceed by foot directly to spiritual grounds that are attached to the institution where he’s incarcerated. He is to remain on the grounds during each absence and return directly to the institution afterwards.
Bulatci will not be in restraints during each occurrence and will reportedly be under close supervision of escort staff at all times. He will be required to engage in the cultural and spiritual activities as offered and comply with direction by escort staff at all times.
“Failure to abide by these conditions will result in immediate suspension of the ETA (escorted temporary absences) and return to the institution,” stated the parole board’s report.
The facility where the offender is being held was not mentioned in the document and has been redacted by the board in previous reports.
Bulatci has already made escorted trips outside of prison. They include an escorted release to get passport photos, but the photos were reportedly of poor quality and were not accepted, according to a previous report from the board. He’s also been given permission to open a bank account and visit a facility in the area of the prison to learn about an unspecified culture.
Bulatci has also started a family while incarcerated. He’s been married three times while in prison and had a son born in May 2020 from his second marriage. The first two unions have since dissolved, according to a prior report, but this latest report stated that he married his latest wife in October 2023 and has had private family visits with her with no problems reported.
While he has been jailed, Bulatci has reportedly been charged with nearly two dozen violations of prison rules, including the possession of and being under the influence of drugs as well as being in possession of a cellphone. He also apparently had a bottle of urine in his cell, discovered during a routine search in 2022. That charge was dropped after another inmate took responsibility for it.
He was also the victim of an assault in November 2023, which he reportedly did not retaliate against. It resulted in a broken jaw and ongoing medical issues, according to the parole board.
’Faint hope clause’
Bulatci was the subject of a Canada-wide manhunt after Worden was found in a wooded area between an apartment complex and the former Dene K’onia young offenders facility on Oct. 6, 2007. Worden had been responding to a request for assistance in the Woodland Avenue area at around 5 a.m. earlier that morning.
Bulatci was eventually apprehended on Oct. 12, 2007, at a home in Edmonton and was returned to Yellowknife to face a first-degree murder charge. He was convicted of that charge in 2009, though he first tried to plead guilty to manslaughter. That plea was rejected by the Crown.
The offender appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2012 and asked for a new trial, but that appeal was denied. As is the case with almost all decisions from the country’s top court, there was no reason given. His lawyers had argued that police illegally recorded conversations while Bulatci was being held at the North Slave Correctional Centre in Yellowknife. Those recordings contained excerpts of Bulatci asking family members and his girlfriend at the time to help silence a witness.
His lawyers also argued at that time that because the case had generated so much attention, they should have been able to question jurors more, which led to an improper jury selection.
Bulatci applied for a judicial review of his case last month under what’s known as the “faint hope clause.” The clause, which was repealed from the Criminal Code of Canada in March 2011, allowed anyone sentenced to life in prison with a parole eligibility of more than 15 years to apply for early release once they’ve served at least 15 years of their sentence.
The clause isn’t applicable to those who committed crimes after Dec. 2, 2011, but since Bulatci was convicted in 2009, he’s eligible to do so.