Killer’s ‘puppet-master’ claims remorse
Todorovic, convicted in stabbing death of teen, granted extended passes from prison
“I want her dead daviddd … we’ve been through this …”
“No sex til then lol”
“Ur getting blocked until you kill her”
“I’m still waiting for her to die,” “Is she dead’?”
Melissa Todorovic got her wish on New Year’s Day, 2008. Her sap of a boyfriend did indeed murder 14year-old Stefanie Rengel, as relentlessly bidden, stabbing the teenager six times, leaving her to die in a snowbank near her family home.
Apart from all the horrors that came to light at Todorovic’s 2009 trial, it was also the first time that social media played such a prominent evidentiary role in a Canadian courtroom: 55,000 MSN messages and thousands of texts rife with sexual blackmail from the “puppetmaster” — judge’s words — to her lovesick patsy David Bagshaw over eight months.
Fifteen at the time, Todorovic was tried as a young offender but sentenced as an adult — life (theoretically) for first-degree murder with no parole eligibility for seven years.
She didn’t take the stand, but almost everyone who assessed Todorovic described her stunning lack of remorse for the killing of a girl she viewed as her rival. Though Regel, who’d dated Bagshaw briefly years earlier, was in no way her nemesis.
In the years since, Todorovic’s conviction on first-degree murder charges and sentence were upheld on appeal, she obtained one-day escorted passes to attend a Brampton halfway house for anger management counselling in May 2016, was granted unescorted three-day passes in November 2017, received day parole for six months in November 2018, had her parole revoked in August
2019, for violating conditions imposed — embarking on a sexual relationship with a “high risk” male parolee and then his friend, another parolee. Lost her appeal of that revocation in January 2020, and was denied the full parole she sought in August 2020.
Which brings us to Wednesday morning and Todorovich’s bid for extended — 15-day unescorted — passes, in a hearing before a parole panel at Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener.
This version of the now-31-yearold was contrite and remorseful for her previous parole transgressions. But keep in mind that she is chronically deceitful.
“You’ve got a lot on the line here,” observed lead panel member Lynn Carter. “You’re back with a little bit of a cloud over your head.”
The felon countered that she’s had a lot of time to reflect on her conduct, arguing she’d been “overwhelmed” by all she was required to do during the previous 72-hour passes: checking in at the halfway house and with police, community work, psychologist appointments. “Before I knew it, I was trying to pull myself back together to come back in here. Then I ended up manipulating the situation for my benefit.
“I thought I was totally ready. Everything was going to work out. But that wasn’t the reality. I made a big mistake.”
Oh sure, she’d violated key parole conditions, particularly not associating with criminals. Heck, she slept with two of them.
“I was trying to catch up for lost time and wanting to do everything I missed out on while I was incarcerated,” Todorovich told the hearing. “It helped boost my self-esteem because I felt wanted.”
She became involved with “Kirk” because she figured, “This is the only time I’ll ever get a boyfriend and so I just went with it.”
But Kirk, alas, was a heavy drinker. So, she turned to his buddy and dumped Kirk for “Dennis.”
Todorovich was asked if she had used sex to manipulate and control — precisely what she’d done armtwisting Bagshaw into killing Renger.
“It made me feel secure in relationships and it empowered me,” she said of sexual manipulation.
With Kirk and Dennis, she acknowledged repeating the pattern. “I could see that I shouldn’t have had sex with Dennis because he was Kirk’s friend, even though I’d broken up with Kirk before that. It created friction and hostility.”
But now, oh yes, she’s developed insight — her treatment plan and psychological counselling have helped with that — and she enjoys strong family support. Although she’s always had that, actually.
“I think I’ve matured over these past five years, becoming myself. That it’s OK to be alone, I don’t need someone else. The biggest thing is realizing how many people I’ve hurt and the consequences of that.”
She’s struggled with eating disorders and poor body image, but that’s being addressed, as her parole officer noted.
Todorovic asked and yet again she received. The board granted her 15day unescorted passes, with conditions: She must report any intimate relationships with either men or women, but this time she’s also required to report friendships, whether they lead to sexual involvement or not. No hanging out with offenders at all, no contact with Rengel’s family, follow her treatment plan for emotional management and continue psychological counselling.
When Todorovic left the hearing, smiling, Stefanie Rengel had been dead for 5,951 days.
Oh sure, she’d violated key parole conditions, particularly not associating with criminals. Heck, she slept with two of them