Man who killed cab driver on Christmas Day granted full parole

A man who has spent his adult life in prison for killing a Halifax-area taxi driver 19 years ago has been granted full parole.

Garmen Davison Smith was convicted of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Kenneth James Purcell in his cab on Christmas Day 2005 in Dartmouth, N.S.

Smith was just shy of his 18th birthday when he killed the 62-year-old Purcell. In 2007, he was sentenced as an adult to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years, a decision he unsuccessfully appealed. The sentencing judge determined that a youth sentence would not be sufficient to hold him accountable or give him the treatment he would need.

Testimony at Smith's trial indicated he and the cab driver had argued over the fare. There was also evidence that he had told a friend prior to the incident that he was waiting for someone to cross him so he could shoot or stab them.

In reviewing the circumstances of the murder, the Parole Board of Canada said of Smith that, "Under the influence of drugs and alcohol and feeling rejected by family, you demonstrated excessive violence completely disproportionate to any perceived threat."

Smith was granted day parole beginning in March 2023 and lived in a halfway house during that time.

The board noted that Smith has come a long way since the murder, learning how to deal with the anger that fuelled his actions.

He told the board he wants to continue with "prosocial activities" including a carpentry program that he hopes will lead to a renovation business.

Smith has prior convictions for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, common assault, weapons offences and uttering threats. All of those offences stem from when Smith was a youth.

He was out on bail when he attacked Purcell and had only been in the community for about three weeks.

One of Smith's prior convictions was for stabbing another cab driver, but that man survived.

Smith's parole comes with conditions, including that he stay away from Purcell's family, abstain from drugs and alcohol, and report any relationships he has with women to his parole officer.

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