One of four men who pleaded guilty for his part in the brutal dismemberment of a St. Albert man will soon be released on parole.
Kyle Grapentine is approaching his statutory release date and the parole board imposed two special conditions designed to keep him out of further trouble.
Statutory release is granted to offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence. It’s virtually automatic and does not come as a result of a parole board decision.
Grapentine was one of four men caught in the act of dismembering the body of former St. Albert resident David Wong.
Police were called to a downtown Edmonton apartment building in February 2007 when a neighbour reported seeing blood seeping into his bathroom from the apartment above.
Grapentine answered the door when police arrived and initially tried to keep them out but, spotting the blood, they managed to force their way in, to find the disturbing scene.
Three other men were in the apartment, a macabre blood-soaked scene with Wong’s badly mutilated body.
Wong was a known drug dealer and his death is believed to have been gang related.
Grapentine and the other three men in the apartment all pleaded guilty in 2008; Grapentine was given a 32-month sentence.
The other three men were given longer sentences, in large part because of lengthier criminal records.
The parole board imposed two conditions on Grapentine, including abstaining from non-prescription drugs and staying clear of anyone involved in criminal activity.
While drugs hadn’t played a significant role in Grapentine’s former crime, the board emphasized there was evidence he had been using drugs in prison.
“Given the serious and disturbing nature of your offence the board believes any use of drugs while in the community will elevate your risk and compromise community safety.”
The board also noted his previous offence was committed as part of a group and he needs a condition on his release to make sure he doesn’t again choose such poor friends.
“It took more than one person to commit the offence of which you are convicted. This indicates to the board that your previous associations have contributed to your offending.”
The other three men who pleaded guilty in the case have not been paroled. While all four men pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder, no one was directly convicted in Wong’s death.
