'Dexter' killer Mark Twitchell loses another bid for escorted family visits to Edmonton

Mark Twitchell, the convicted murderer who gained international notoriety for modelling his crimes on TV serial killer “Dexter,” has lost another bid for temporary leave from prison.

Earlier this month, the Parole Board of Canada denied an appeal of Twitchell’s previous application for escorted temporary absences to visit family.

The one-time amateur filmmaker is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years for the 2008 murder of John Brian Altinger, who he killed and dismembered after luring him to his south Edmonton garage.

Twitchell applied earlier this year for leave from prison to visit family, but was denied. The parole board’s appeal division upheld the earlier denial in a decision dated Oct. 2.

The specific identity of the family member is redacted in the decision, though it does mention Twitchell has a wife who he married after receiving the life sentence. He also maintains regular contact with his parents.

The October decision found no legal errors on the part of the parole board that originally heard Twitchell’s case.

It also stressed the impact allowing Twitchell to visit the outside world would have on Altinger’s family.

“You point to there being no realistic possibility of contact with the victims with the security and supervision measures that would be in place,” the decision states. “The appeal division finds that your perspective does not take into consideration the effect on the victims that could be expected from your presence in the city where (REDACTED) and where their loved one was murdered by you.”

“This concern was also shared by your case management team, who noted that your participation in family contact escorted temporary absences to Edmonton may adversely affect the victims given that it is the location of the index offences.”

Twitchell’s case became international news when it emerged he had been partly influenced by “Dexter,” the TV drama depicting a police bloodstain pattern analyst who moonlights as a serial killer, tracking down criminals he believes were inadequately punished by the justice system.

Among Twitchell’s personal effects was a document in which he described Altinger’s murder in extreme detail, outlined an earlier similar attack and described himself as a psychopath.

Twitchell also mused about becoming a serial killer, as well as other victims he wanted to kill.

During his hearing earlier this year, Twitchell told the board he created a homicidal character in his mind when confronted with personal and professional frustrations. By the summer of 2008, he was “identifying so strongly with the character that you began to wonder what it would feel like to kill someone,” the March 12 decision reads.

Twitchell was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced in April 2011. The board heard that early on in his sentence, authorities found a journal in his cell discussing sexual fantasies about a female corrections officer, as well as “graphically harming or killing public figures, guards and other inmates.”

He was also caught sending artwork to a third party, who was selling it to the public.

Twitchell’s behaviour in prison has been less concerning in recent years, though the board notes he was part of a unit-wide incident in which inmates refused to lock up to protest COVID restrictions. He is currently classified as medium security, and had asked for two family visits accompanied by armed guards.

While Twitchell was not deemed an undue threat to the public if temporarily released under supervision, the parole board concluded that allowing him to visit family would not be “desirable,” noting he reported maintaining contact with loved ones via video chat, phone calls and in-person prison visits.

The parole board’s appeal division concluded there were no errors that would support overturning that decision.

“When asked what you wanted to gain from spending time at (REDACTED’S) house, you said you would eat, play board games, and socialize, like what you do now during visits but in a more comfortable environment,” the decision states.

“The salient point in the board’s reasoning was that you and (REDACTED) had been able to maintain and solidify your relationship through the methods of contact that were available.”

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