‘You haven’t changed one whit’: Crown argues Nicola Puddicombe not ready for early parole

Nicola Puddicombe denies she was the one who hatched a plan to kill her boyfriend Dennis Hoy in 2006 with her then-girlfriend Ashleigh Pechanluk for a $250,000 life insurance policy for which Puddicombe was the sole beneficiary.

She also says she’s changed despite the fact she’s now romantically involved with a woman serving a life sentence for second-degree murder.

During a fiery cross-examination at her faint hope hearing in a downtown Toronto courtroom Monday, Crown prosecutor Alice Bradstreet accused Puddicombe of finally taking accountability for Hoy’s murder so the jury would believe she’s changed.

“Ms. Puddicombe, you’re trying to trick this jury in taking responsibility at this late time, to show you’re rehabilitated and remorseful,” Bradstreet suggested.

Puddicombe denied the suggestion, explaining it’s been hard for her to be truthful, saying she concerned about her loved ones leaving her.

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“What I’m hearing from you is the reason it’s taken so long is because of how it would impact you and your family. Not once have I heard ‘I’m sorry,'” Bradstreet added.

“I am sorry. I am responsible. If it wasn’t for me. He was innocent and he didn’t deserve that and I don’t say it enough,” said Puddicombe.

Puddicombe is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years after a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder in 2009.

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Puddicombe told the jury at her faint hope hearing that she agreed with Pechaluk’s plan to kill Hoy, seeing no way other way out of the polygamous relationship.

Pechaluk, who confessed to killing Hoy by bludgeoning him with an axe on Oct. 27, 2006, was acquitted at trial. A police interview in which Pechaluk confessed was never shown because officers forgot to read her her rights.

The faint hope clause in the Criminal Code of Canada offers offenders serving a life sentence for murder who committed their crime before Dec. 2, 2011, the possibility to apply to have his or her parole inadmissibility date reviewed after serving at least 15 years.

Bradstreet asked why, during a recent parole hearing, Puddicombe didn’t take responsibility for her role in the murder.

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“I wasn’t prepared. It isn’t hard to be truthful, but my parole officer had not prepared me for what kind of questions were going to be asked. All I said was, ‘it’s my fault, I brought these two people together,'” Puddicombe replied.

The jury has heard that the Parole Board of Canada denied Puddicombe’s bid for escorted day absences (EDAs).

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Bradstreet also suggested that Puddicombe has painted herself as a victim of horrific domestic violence to people she met with in prison.

“I’m going to suggest to you one of two things is true. Either none of this abuse happened or you are significantly exaggerating the abuse,” said Bradstreet.

Hoy worked at Go Train employee who lived with his parents.

“Six months in, I can recall he wasn’t just abusive to me but also to other people in the community. He did cruel things. I never spoke about it because I carry the fact I participated in his murder,” Puddicombe said.

Bradstreet suggested the reason she told everyone in prison about the abuse for the past 19 years was to provide “some moral high ground” and so that people wouldn’t think badly of her.

“No, an innocent person is dead. I accept it. I’ve come to terms with people thinking I’m a bad person,” said Puddicombe.

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“Killing someone who is abusive is wrong, but killing someone for money. That’s pure evil,” Bradstreet suggested.

Puddicombe replied she didn’t realize how bad her relationship with Hoy was, saying the murder had nothing to do with money.

“This had to do with her (Pechaluk) thinking this was the only way out. She presented me with plans. I was in the corner. I was a coward. It was the fear we lived in,” Puddicombe said, referring to earlier testimony in which she told the jury Hoy threatened to hurt her or her family if she left him.

Bradstreet suggested that to Puddicombe that she finally mustered up the tiniest bit of remorse to help her cause.

“You have lied, you have manipulated, you killed Dennis for your own interest alone. I would suggest Ms. Puddicombe you have not changed one whit,” said Bradstreet.

The Crown attorney then asked Puddicombe about her current relationship with a woman she met at the Grand Valley Institution for Women. Puddicombe confirmed the two began dating in 2022, but have know each other for nearly a decade.

“I do love her,” Puddicombe told Bradstreet, confirming that her girlfriend is about 10 years younger.

Bradstreet asked about a couple of misconducts for being in her girlfriend’s living space. “I was convicted of one,” Puddicombe said.

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The jury heard that Puddicombe has since been moved to a minimum security institution, while the girlfriend remains at Grand Valley and now, in order to communicate, they have to send mail by post.

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Bradstreet suggested that Puddicombe, who works as a peer advocate inside prison, was using another inmate’s login to send her partner messages, rather than for filing grievances. Puddicombe explained she was accused of that, but doesn’t agree.

A letter was then shown on a screen in court that Bradstreet suggested was written by Puddicombe on behalf of her partner Rainbow Hill. In the letter, Rainbow Hill writes to a professor declaring her interest in a course called “Walls to Bridges” that she can take while incarcerated.

Another computer-generated card was shown in court that says “Nick Loves Rain Forever and Ever” along with a word search puzzle which had alot of personal details about her relationship with Hill.

Puddicombe explained the inmate whom she was supporting in her peer advocate capacity created a detailed love word search for her.

Bradstreet asks about the line at the top of the word search which reads, “This is for the love my life, my person, my wife, my best friend.”

“I might have written the top part,” Puddicombe explains, but she did the word search. One of the questions is “Genre of Movies that Rain and Nick like?” The answer is “horror.”

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Puddicombe explained that the inmate who created the word search knew her favourite genre of movies was horror because the two had watched horror movies together.

“We lived om the same unit. We’re in prison. Everybody talks and knows people. She knows details of my relationship,” Puddicombe explained.

Bradstreet asked about a commitment ceremony she had with her partner before she was transferred to a minimum-security prison.

“It was our version of a marriage,” Puddicombe testified. She agreed with Bradstreet that she knew that her partner was convicted of second-degree murder, along with her partner’s domestic partner and that the murder was in a domestic context.

“You call this woman your wife?” Bradstreet asked.

Puddicombe agreed with Bradstreet, who suggested the plan is to spend their loves together in the community. “Yes, it’s a positive situation for us.”

Last Thursday, during her testimony in chief, she told court she has dating at least three other women while in custody but broke up with all of them saying she has taken courses about healthy relationships while in prison.

When defence lawyer Mitchell Huberman asked if her current relationship is healthy, Puddicombe replied, “I’ve known her (Hill) for 10 years. She’s done a lot of work on herself. It was based on her present values about family. Though there was domestic abuse in her crime, she recognized there shouldn’t have been control.”

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The jury did not hear details of Hill’s crime.

Earlier in the trial, Dr. Anne Dimito, a prison psychologist who worked with Puddicombe for more than 10 years, was cross-examined by the Crown about Puddicombe’s current partner.

“Does it cause you concern that she got into a relationship with a woman who killed somebody with someone else?” Bradstreet asked Dimito.

Dimito agreed it was a concern. “I don’t think she makes the best choices in relationships,” Dimito said.

The jury is expected to hear closing arguments on Wednesday.