Woman who pleaded guilty to murdering Loretta Saunders granted temporary passes from prison

The woman who was convicted of the 2014 murder of university student Loretta Saunders has been allowed temporary passes from prison.

A woman who pleaded guilty to the 2014 murder of Halifax university student Loretta Saunders is being allowed temporary passes from prison.

Parole documents obtained by CTV News show Victoria Lea Henneberry has been granted two 72-hour unescorted temporary absences (UTA) for what’s described as “personal development.”

Henneberry was given a life sentence after pleading guilty in April 2015 to second-degree murder. Her boyfriend, Blake Leggette, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Saunders.

As part of the conditions, the 40-year-old must stay at a residential facility, returning each night.

While on her unescorted leave, Henneberry will be allowed three outings, including a tour of a college campus and two trips to a grocery store.

The documents don’t show what prison Henneberry is incarcerated in, nor where the residential facility is.

Both Henneberry and Leggette were renting an apartment from Saunders at the time of her murder.

On Feb. 13, 2014, Saunders went to their apartment to collect rent money.

Once inside, the parole documents show, Leggette attacked and killed Saunders.

Her body was placed in the trunk of a car in a hockey bag.

According to an agreed statement of facts read out in court, Legette and Henneberry dumped Saunders’ body in Salisbury, N.B., and then drove to Ontario.

They used Saunders’ cellphone to send text messages to her boyfriend and family, pretending to be her. They also used Saunders’ bank card before they were arrested.

After Henneberry’s arrest on Feb. 18, 2014, she confessed to the murder the following day.

The parole documents describe video evidence showing she and Leggette had discussed killing Saunders five days prior to the actual murder.

The parole documents show the Correctional Service of Canada recommended that the UTA be authorized as part of Henneberry’s gradual reintegration into society.

The CSC also recommended the following special conditions be imposed:

• follow a treatment plan
• report relationships
• have no contact with victims
• telecommunication and internet restrictions

Leggette, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder back in 2015, would not be eligible for parole for 25 years.

In pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Henneberry was eligible for parole after 10 years.

The Crown said that, while Henneberry’s actions were “deplorable,” there’s no evidence of her physical involvement in Saunders’ murder.

Both Legette and Henneberry apologized in court for their actions.

More than a dozen victim impact statements were read in court.

Saunders, an Inuk woman from Labrador and a student at Saint Mary’s University, was writing her thesis on Canada’s missing and murdered Aboriginal women at the time of her death.

With files from CTV News staff

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