N.S. group apologizes for inviting convicted killer to speak at panel

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The Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia is now apologizing after an event included Marissa Shephard, who was convicted in the 2015 killing of a Moncton, N.B. teenager.

A Nova Scotia organization that supports women and girls who are involved with the justice system is facing backlash over who it invited to speak at a panel discussion on navigating the legal system.

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia is now apologizing after the event included Marissa Shephard, who was convicted in the 2015 killing of a Moncton, N.B. teenager.

The event at Dalhousie University last week was entitled “Navigating the Legal System & Community Supports After Violence, Victimization, and Loss” and was supported by a fund in partnership with the family of Logan Russell. On its website, the organization said Russell lost her life “in an act of horrifying violence perpetrated by her male partner.”

In a post on Facebook, Russell’s mother, Maureen MacTaggart, said she was “beyond disappointed and heartbroken that they would use Logan’s legacy in connection with someone like (Shephard).”

“We feel deceived by this decision and not being made aware of this ahead of time and given the choice to participate or not. Had we been made aware, it would have never been associated with Logan or our family,” she wrote.

Shephard received a 12-year sentence in 2021 after pleading guilty to manslaughter and arson in the death of 18-year-old Baylee Wylie.

Court documents say Wylie was tied to a chair, beaten, and stabbed about 200 times.

His body was found in Shephard’s burned-out Moncton townhouse in December 2015.

Shephard was one of three people sentenced in connection with Wylie’s killing. A 2024 Parole Board of Canada decision states Shephard wasn’t present for the fatal assault but helped start the fire.

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