Man who plotted 1990 Tsawwassen murders of mother and grandmother gets parole extension

Man Who Plotted 1990 Tsawwassen Murders of Mother and Grandmother Granted Parole Extension

local news

Now 50, he was first granted six months probation in August 2022.

Author of the article:

Jeff Bell • Colonist of the Victoria Times

Posted February 7, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 minutes read

Take part in the conversation between Darren Hünemann and his mother and grandmother. Photo by FAMILY PHOTO

Darren Gowen – formerly known as Darren Huenemann – who in 1990 arranged for his classmates at Mount Douglas Secondary School to kill his mother and grandmother in order to receive a $4 million inheritance, was granted a six-month probation extension.

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Now 50, he was first granted six months probation in August 2022.

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Gowen, who was 18 at the time of the murders, orchestrated the murders of his mother, Sharon Huenemann, 47, and grandmother, Doris Leatherbarrow, 69, at Leatherbarrow’s home in Tsawwassen.

Classmates Derik Lord and David Muir carried out the murders with a knife and crowbar while Gowen stayed in Victoria with his girlfriend.

The crime scene was set up as if a burglary had taken place.

Huenemann was sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for 25 years, while Lord and Muir were sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for 10 years.

Gowen was also convicted of escaping prison in 1996 and assault.

Undated family photo of Darren Huenemann with his mother Sharon Huenemann. PROVINCE PROVINCE

Conditions of the August 2022 parole included that Gowen not travel to BC and attend psychological counseling. Day probation allows for participation in community activities, with offenders being required to return to a community residential facility or transitional home each night.

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In its Feb. 1 decision, the Parole Board of Canada said Gowen respected his terms and followed the rules at his community living facility during his time in the community.

A 2017 psychiatric evaluation showed “positive impressions regarding your accountability and your emotional/psychiatric areas,” the decision said, with his psychiatrist saying Gowen had made “significant progress” over the years.

“You were emotional as you expressed regret and remorse,” the decision said. “You took all the blame on yourself and didn’t show any signs of a narcissistic or antisocial personality.”

A psychological investigation that followed in 2020 found that Gowen’s crimes “occurred in a definite and specific context as you approached adulthood.”

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“You’ve obviously worked on yourself a lot over the past few decades, which has enabled you to be more sensitive and open to your reality, but especially that of others.”

The assessment states that his medium and long-term risk of “violent relapse” is now moderate to low.

Darren Huenemann (wearing glasses) at the time of his arrest in 1990. Photo by Rick Loughran/PROVINCE

Gowen was granted unaccompanied stays in a transitional home in 2021, a year after a similar request was denied.

At the time, he was in a minimum-security facility in Quebec. Initially, he was allowed one two-day temporary unaccompanied absence per month.

Gowen participated in a number of programs while in prison to address issues such as anger management and violence prevention, the decision said.

He had a good attitude on the job during his probation, added the decision, but at one point expressed frustration because he “felt like a slave.”

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The board said he was discouraged when he didn’t find a job straight away and then started a group in November to support the unemployed and help them get into the job market.

“So far, the feedback from your manager has been very positive,” the decision says.

It concluded that Gowen “will not pose an undue risk to society” while he is on probation and it will help with his reinstatement as a law-abiding citizen.

Lord, who continues to maintain his innocence, was granted a six-month extension to his probation in January. He was first granted day probation in March 2020.

Muir, who admitted his role in the murders, was paroled in 2002 and received full parole in 2003.

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