Appeal court lengthens parole period in triple murder of Castor family

Feb 8, 2021 | 11:50 AM

CALGARY — The Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled that a trial judge erred by not applying consecutive parole eligibilities for two men convicted in the slayings of three family members.

The decision announced Monday morning means that Jason Klaus and Joshua Frank must now serve a minimum 50 years in prison before they can apply for release.

Justice Eric Macklin convicted both men of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole eligibility for 25 years following a lengthy trial in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench in 2017.

Jason Klaus (front) and Joshua Frank are seen here in RCMP video evidence presented during their murder trial in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench in 2017.

The bodies of Klaus’s father and sister, Gordon and Monica Klaus, were found in their burned-out farmhouse near Castor in 2013.

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The body of his mother, Sandra Klaus, was never found but police believed she also died in the home.

Prosecutor Iwona Kuklicz argued last summer that Macklin should have given the killers life sentences with no parole eligibility for 75 years. Kuklicz said Macklin failed to address the principles of deterrence and both aggravating and mitigating factors.

Monday’s decision by the Alberta Court of Appeal was not unanimous, meaning it can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

(With file from The Canadian Press)

by rdnewsNOW staff