A London man serving a 25-year sentence for murdering his friend is looking for love on a dating site for inmates, a sign of his lack of remorse, the family of his victim says.
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Will Joles was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2018 for the brutal killing of his friend Nathan Deslippe – a 27-year-old life coach, yoga instructor and entrepreneur – in the summer of 2016.
Joles’ profile appears on Canadian Inmates Connect, a website that showcases incarcerated people interested in corresponding by mail with members of the public, for friendship or more.
In his online post, Joles said he is looking to connect with “positive people” and is interested in corresponding with women.
“I’ve been single for a while now and I’m looking to get back out there and meet a great woman,” the post said. “Please send a picture.”
The post goes on to say Joles is a certified personal trainer and life coach who was starting his own business before he was incarcerated.
“Another goal I have is to become a certified yoga instructor,” the post said.
Joles’ lighthearted personals ad is yet another sign he has no remorse for Deslippe’s killing, Deslippe’s mother said Monday.
“When I read what he wrote on that site, it was like he was trying to be Nathan,” said Mona Lam-Deslippe.
“He wants to be a yoga instructor. He wants to be a leadership coach. It’s like he wants to take over Nathan’s life. It’s sickening, it’s terrible.”
Since Joles was sentenced, the Deslippe family has been advocating for change in how victims’ loved ones are treated by the penal system, particularly when offenders apply for conditional releases before their set parole date, such as temporary absences or day parole.
The parole board considers a wide range of factors when coming to a decision, but there is a limited role for victims’ families when conditional release decisions are made, Lam-Deslippe said.
“The system is broken. It’s not just about our situation,” she said. “It’s a re-traumatization every time. . . . That is something we’ve come to understand, that it’s a fact of life for us.”
Victims’ families also face barriers in access to information related to the inmate’s applications for release, such as transcripts of the hearings, Deslippe’s father Tim Deslippe said, because the information can impact the offender’s privacy interests.
“I think most people assume that when someone is caught by police and sent away to prison, that’s the end of it, but it’s not,” Deslippe said.
Last year, a Parole Board of Canada panel rejected Joles’ application for an escorted temporary absence to go to an Indigenous facility offering traditional healing services. Joles will become eligible to apply for parole in the coming years and will be out by 2030, Deslippe said.
In a statement Monday, the Parole Board of Canada said documents within an offender’s file are protected by the Privacy Act and victims can request an audio recording of the hearing of the offender who harmed them. Information disclosed to victims is done in accordance with the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Canadian Victim Bill of Rights, the board said.
The board also maintains a registry of conditional release decisions, including reasons, that the public can access.
The parole board said it “recognizes the important role of victims in the conditional release process and strives to be sensitive and accommodating to their needs within the scope of our mandate and governing laws.”
Joles was arrested within hours of the fatal attack at Deslippe’s Colborne Street apartment on Aug. 28, 2016.
Joles, who had been staying in Deslippe’s downtown apartment while he got back on his feet, fatally beat Deslippe, dragging Deslippe’s body to the bathtub, showering and taking a naked photo of himself covered in blood.
Joles’ second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory 25-year prison sentence. His parole eligibility was set for 11 years after his conviction, taking into account three years of time-served.
Joles, 36, is serving his sentence at Springhill Penitentiary in Nova Scotia, a prison about 95 kilometres southeast of Moncton, N.B.