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A B.C. man serving a sentence for murder is causing waves at McGill University in Montreal.
Jeffrey Ewart has been attending law school at the university since September and not all students are happy to be sharing classes with a convicted killer.
Ewert, now in his 60s, was convicted in the 1980s of second-degree murder and attempted murder involving violent attacks committed in British Columbia on two female victims, one of whom was 15 years old.
Ewert spent 40 years in federal prison and was granted day parole in 2025. News of his studies spread in early October and he has since been barred from campus.
Former prosecutor and retired judge, Rick Miller, told Global News that Ewart is “as bad as they come.”
“This guy was the most brutal and evil that I dealt with,” he said.
Miller said he still remembers prosecuting Ewart 40 years ago for murder and attempted murder.
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In 1984, Ewert choked a 19-year-old woman unconscious, sexually assaulted her and then dumped her in the Fraser River, where she was later found dead.
Six weeks later, Miller said Ewert strangled a 15-year-old girl unconscious in his adoptive parents’ Surrey basement, drove her to a drainage ditch, where he left her to die after her head struck the pavement when he dragged her out.
She survived, but was paralyzed for life with severe brain damage.
Ewert was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
“Ewert had raised a defence in both cases of insanity,” Miller said. “The psychiatrist that the Crown called said that wasn’t true, that he was in fact a psychopathic killer.”
Ewert appealed and the first-degree murder verdict was overturned and a new trial was ordered.
Ewert later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and Miller said the judge in that case thought Ewert would be a danger his entire life so he recommended that parole never authorize his release from prison.
However, after serving 40 years, Ewert was granted day parole last year.
Opinions on Ewert studying at McGill has left students divided.
Student Leah Kropf told Global News, “It’s scary and it’s kind of unbelievable,” that many students apply and aren’t accepted, but Ewert was.
“I believe in second chances. I believe in rehabilitation,” McGill student Ines Keita said. “People make mistakes and I also feel like if he got liberated, he has the right to rehab, do something with his life and get an education.”
But student Isabelle Munoz said she isn’t comfortable with the idea. “I would not feel safe being in class with him. I would not feel safe being on campus around him,” she said.
McGill told Global News that privacy laws prevented it from discussing individual student cases, but said the safety and security of its students is paramount.
The university also said it would actively review its admissions processes to ensure a similar situation does not happen again.
In a letter sent to students over the weekend, the McGill administration said it remained committed to second chances and the power of education to transform lives. It also said student safety comes first and the matter was being reviewed by the university.
“I always took solace from belief and understanding that he would remain in custody until he died, but then he didn’t,” Miller said.
-with files from Alessia Simona Maratta and Amanda Jelowicki
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Source: Global News
