‘I’m so angry’: Mother of homicide victim upset accused killer granted bail

Collin Boucher-Gionet, the man accused of killing Aylissa Rovere, has been released from custody, sparking protests. CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg reports

The mother of a woman killed last fall is shocked and upset that the man accused of killing her has been granted bail, despite a history of violence.

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Jodi Dunn’s daughter Aylissa Rovere was reported missing in September shortly before police found her remains in a home north of Stony Plain.

Collin Boucher-Gionet, who police said had an “intimate relationship” with Rovere, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a body in connection with her death.

• ‘She had so much empathy’: Family remembers woman found dead near Stony Plain

He was recently granted bail and released on house arrest.

On Boucher-Gionet’s release document, it lists previous convictions including uttering threats, assault and assault with a weapon.

Dunn said she “can’t even fathom” the decision to grant him house arrest.

“He’s got a really long history of abuse and violence,” she said.

Dunn and a small group gathered outside the Alberta Courts on Thursday to protest his release.

“I’m so angry, and I decided, OK, what can I do with this anger?” she said. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to turn this anger into something positive, so that’s why we’re out here.”

None of the allegations against Boucher-Gionet in connection with Rovere’s death have been tested in court.

His lawyer Stacey Purser said Boucher-Gionet has a constitutional right to reasonable bail, which applies regardless of the severity of any charges.

“With the conditions we suggested, which included house arrest, the Crown was satisfied that the risk to the public was adequately mitigated,” she said.

Boucher-Gionet’s bail was $2,500 and his conditions include no-contact orders with 24 people, including Dunn, not consuming “intoxicating substances,” not possessing a weapon and not being in any motor vehicle without the registered owner.