Statutory release revoked for killer Shawn Lamb after drug trafficking suspicions
The Parole Board of Canada has revoked convicted killer Shawn Lamb's statutory release after he breached multiple conditions in May 2026. Lamb's family of victim Tanya Nepinak says he should never have been released.
Parole Board returns convicted killer Shawn Lamb to custody after string of violations
The Parole Board of Canada has revoked the statutory release of convicted killer Shawn Lamb, 66, after he repeatedly breached his conditions, Global News Crime reports. Lamb is back in custody and will remain there until a new release is ordered or his next statutory release date is reached.
Lamb was charged in June 2012 with second-degree murder in the deaths of three Indigenous women — Lorna Blacksmith, Carolyn Sinclair, and Tanya Nepinak. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Blacksmith and Sinclair; the charge related to Nepinak was stayed. Her remains have never been found and are believed to be in the Brady Road landfill.
Lamb was sentenced in November 2013 to 20 years in prison, with credit for two years served in remand custody. In November 2025, the Parole Board granted him statutory release — a mechanism that allows federal offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence to be released under supervision.
Behaviour deteriorated from March 2026
A written decision by the Parole Board indicates Lamb initially showed positive behaviour upon entering a community-based residential facility. That changed in March 2026. The document notes Lamb expressed interest in volunteering with homeless encampments but could not find a supporting agency, and was also ineligible to volunteer at a local hospital.
Despite that, he began showing up at the hospital without authorization. "You began 'volunteering' on your own, pushing people around the hospital in their wheelchairs," the board's decision states. "You were directed to cease 'volunteering' immediately and to report any relationships you had made within the hospital." Lamb subsequently found volunteer work at a local church.
Drug trafficking suspected in May 2026
In May 2026, the board says Lamb committed numerous breaches of his conditions. He signed out of the halfway house stating he was going to Walmart and a pharmacy, but police observed him walking through the downtown area, entering an apartment building, and handing small plastic bags containing a white substance to individuals who gave him cash in return. Staff at the halfway house had separately reported that multiple people, including women, had been arriving and asking for Lamb.
A warrant was issued for his arrest. "Upon your arrest, you were in possession of $500 cash," the board's document reads. "Although police had strong evidence of you trafficking — including images of hand-to-hand transactions — additional charges are not being pursued at this time as you were not arrested with drugs on your person."
A search of Lamb's room uncovered an additional cell phone, loose Tylenol 3 pills, a bag containing motel receipts totalling approximately $350, condoms in multiple locations, storage unit receipts totalling $4,000, and an envelope containing photographs of nude women.
Lamb denies drug trafficking
Lamb told his parole officer he may have been handing out cigarettes, money, and gift cards to homeless people downtown, and that some of those individuals had given him Apple gift cards in return. Before the board, he denied drug trafficking, arguing that if he had possessed drugs, he would have had no control and consumed them himself. The board noted his sublocade regimen — a medication used to treat opioid dependence — would affect that claim.
The board also said Lamb made cryptic comments suggesting he had met a woman at a hotel for sex. "You have a report relationships condition, and this would be a notable breach, and exceptionally aggravating, as it reflects the vulnerability of your choice of victims," the document states. "Your criminal conviction history reflects sexual assault and extreme violence. The nude photos of females in your possession, and second phone, indicate that your sexual preoccupation continues and this is also risk elevating to the community."
The board concluded: "The offences caused death, and it is apparent that you have returned to your offence cycle. The fact that these actions are post sex offender programming and do not align with your healing path are very concerning. Your actions are not beyond your control, yet you continue to willfully make poor decisions that place the public at risk."
Nepinak's family: he should never have been freed
Sue Caribou, Tanya Nepinak's aunt, told Global News Crime she was relieved the release had been revoked but believes Lamb should never have been granted statutory release at all. "How can you trust somebody that took lives and put him back on the street?" Caribou said.
She said hearing his name causes her family significant pain. "Shawn Lamb is a monster that should be left to rot in jail," Caribou said. "He took so many beautiful women and so many of us are still carrying that hurt."
Source: Global News Crime