McGill law student says she received death threats after defending convicted murderer Jeffrey Ewert

A McGill University law student says she has received online threats after publicly defending convicted murderer Jeffrey Ewert, who was taken back into custody Saturday after his conditional release was suspended.

Amy Haysom said she met Ewert on their first day at McGill Law in September and developed a friendship with him before learning about his criminal past.

“He was this quiet, reserved gentleman, long braids, really lovely energy,” Haysom said.

She said Ewert later told her he was a convicted murderer and, as required under his release conditions, notified his parole officer about their developing friendship.

“One person I did need to speak to when I developed a friendship was his parole officer, so she was very involved with him on a daily basis,” Haysom said.

Haysom said she never felt unsafe around Ewert and continues to support him, despite receiving death threats online for defending him.

“We agree to a carceral system that agrees to reintegration,” she said. “And I would like to think we are not just talking about it in the mind, but what does it look like in action” she told Global News on Monday.

Ewert, who is now in his 60s, was convicted in the 1980s of second-degree murder and attempted murder involving violent attacks committed in British Columbia against two female victims, one of whom was 15.

In 1984, Ewert choked a 19-year-old woman unconscious, sexually assaulted her and then dumped her in the Fraser River, where she was later found dead.

Six weeks later, Miller said Ewert strangled the 15-year-old girl unconscious in his adoptive parents’ Surrey basement, drove her to a drainage ditch, where he left her to die after her head struck the pavement when he dragged her out.

She survived, but was paralyzed for life with severe brain damage.

Ewert was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder and spent 40 years in federal prison and was granted day parole in 2025.

Ewert had been attending law school at McGill since September, but news of his studies began circulating in early October. He was subsequently barred from campus.

On Friday, Ewert was remanded into custody after the Correctional Service of Canada suspended his conditional release.

CSC said a warrant was issued for Ewert and that such a warrant may be issued when “there are reasonable grounds to believe that the offender has breached a condition of release or that the risk they present can no longer be safely managed in the community.”

The correctional service said his case is being reviewed in accordance with its post-release decision-making process, which may include further consideration by the Parole Board of Canada.

No further details about the suspension have been released.

Haysom said Ewert interacted online with females who turned out to be AI-generated. She said she spoke to him about what she considered potentially inappropriate language, including comments he wrote such as “you’re hot,” but said she was not aware of anything more disturbing.

The controversy surrounding Ewert has divided students at McGill.

Many students said they were uncomfortable with Ewert attending the university.

“That he even got out of jail is ridiculous, and that he is able to pursue an education and take advantage of the system. It’s baffling,” McGill student Julia Klein said. Another university student Olivia Ho-Foster told Global she feels a lot safer now that Ewert is no longer on campus.

Some students had previously said they believed Ewert should have the right to rehabilitation and an education.

McGill previously told Global News that privacy laws prevented the university from discussing individual student cases, but said the safety and security of students is paramount.

The university also said it would review its admissions processes to ensure a similar situation does not happen again. In a letter to students, the administration said it remained committed to second chances and the power of education to transform lives, while stressing that student safety comes first.

Criminal lawyer Eric Sutton said the prison system is designed to allow people convicted of crimes to eventually pursue a normal life.

“What he did 40 years ago, which was abhorrent, does not necessarily define the person today,” Sutton said.

But Sutton said Ewert would also have been aware of the conditions attached to his release.

“There seems to be a number of people who reported inappropriate behaviour,” he said. “He has to take responsibility for his actions. If that evidence is compelling, he will have to live with the consequences.”

Ewert’s return to custody came shortly after former prosecutor and retired judge Rick Miller, who prosecuted him decades ago, spoke publicly about the case.

“This guy was the most brutal and evil that I dealt with,” Miller told Global News last week.

Miller said he had taken comfort in believing Ewert would remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.

“Ewert had raised a defence in both cases of insanity,” Miller said. “The psychiatrist that the Crown called said that wasn’t true, that he was in fact a psychopathic killer.”

“I always took solace from belief and understanding that he would remain in custody until he died, but then he didn’t,” Miller said.