YORKTON — More than 50 years after the brutal killing of a 16-year-old Metis girl from Yorkton, the man finally brought to justice through advances in DNA technology has been granted day parole.
Ronald James Edwards, 76, of Sundre, Alta., was approved for release to a community-based residential facility on July 28, according to a Parole Board of Canada (PBC) decision. The ruling grants Edwards a six-month day parole release, subject to availability at a halfway house.
Edwards is serving a four-year, six-month sentence for manslaughter — a plea he entered last year in connection with the January 1976 death of Pauline Brazeau. The young woman’s killing remained a cold case for nearly five decades. Edwards was convicted and sentenced in 2025.
Police had their suspect in 2022 after investigative genetic genealogy and advancements in DNA technology led them to Edwards. According to DNA Solves, the RCMP had submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas.
Edwards was arrested the following year and confessed to meeting the victim the night she died, driving her outside the city, sexually assaulting and murdering her.
In its decision, the Board acknowledged the profound and lasting pain inflicted on the victim’s family. Multiple victim impact statements described the “devastation” of losing their beloved mother, sister, and daughter.
“The only solace for her family is after 50 years of living without her, they now know you committed these crimes, and they can finally get closure, but they will never forget what you have done,” read the parole documents.
The Board imposed strict conditions prohibiting Edwards from having direct or indirect contact with the victim’s family saying, “They deserve peace.”
He is also prohibited from consuming, purchasing, or possessing alcohol or drugs, and being in the presence of sex trade workers.
History of violence
The 1976 murder of Brazeau wasn’t Edwards’ only conviction for violence. In 1990, he was convicted of attempted murder and sexual assault after picking up a female sex worker and violently assaulting her with a hunting knife. The victim sustained severe and permanent injuries, including facial lacerations, defensive wounds, and multiple fractures suffered when she escaped through a second-story window. He served 10 years in federal prison for those offences.
After his release, he remained in the community for roughly 25 years.
Assessing the risk
Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, the Parole Board concluded that Edwards doesn’t currently pose an “undue risk to society.” The decision cited several mitigating factors, including his advanced age, his positive behaviour in prison, and the completion of a correctional program.
Psychological risk assessments placed Edwards in the “low-moderate risk range for sexual reoffending” and “moderate risk for general and violent recidivism.”
Edwards told the Board he has been sober for years and is “afraid to get drunk.” He said he feels “terrible” for the victim’s family and has accepted responsibility for the sexual assault and murder. He also said he doesn’t intend to pursue intimate relationships and hopes to reconnect with his adult son.
According to DNA Solves, in January 1976, Brazeau visited a pizza diner in Calgary for dinner and drinks, where she was last seen alive around 3 a.m. Hours later, her body was discovered in a rural area near Cochrane, a town about 22 miles from Calgary.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
