There are no hall of fame banquets or old-timer days for criminals.
There is no retirement or RRSPs, wintering in Florida, balls-to-the-walls tennis games or even any recognition for a scam well done. Instead, it’s welfare or the four concrete walls of a prison cell.
But what there is, frequently, is a bitter irony. A full karmic collapse on a life badly lived.
Violence followed Paskimin around
Enter Devon Paskimin . The 45-year-old had frequently encountered violent engagement during his long tenure as a guest of his majesty, but this time, there would be no coming back.
According to cops, on Saturday night, officers were told Paskimin became involved in an altercation at Beaver Creek Institution in Gravenhurst, Ont. The mortally wounded prisoner was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
So far, there have been no arrests or a cause of death, and in the tragedy’s coda, maybe that’s beside the point. An autopsy is expected, and the investigation is ongoing.
Corrections Canada said Paskimin was a lifer, in the cement since May 12, 2003. More than half his life has been spent behind bars. Or as Steve McQueen learned in the 1973 classic prison film, Papillon, he wasn’t guilty of killing a pimp.
A great crime? Wasting your life
No, his crime was far greater: Wasting his life. Once more, enter Paskimin.
In 2009, Paskimin and another jailbird were hit with 10 years without parole for their roles in a deadly attack on a fellow con in 2006 at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert, B.C. The pair were convicted of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of James Ronald Taylor, 28, during a basketball game.
In 2009, Crown prosecutor John Syrnick asked that the deadly duo serve more than the minimum, citing their hyper-violent criminal history. In Paskimin’s case, it would be 15 to 20 years. The judge settled on 14 years before being eligible for parole.
At the time of the prison murder, Paskimin was serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for assault against a peace officer, carrying a concealed weapon, break and enter and robbery.
The motive was never made clear
As is often the case in the criminal milieu, the motive was never made clear for the Taylor murder.
Taylor’s mother and older sister read victim impact statements in court, calling the barbaric slaying a premeditated and cowardly act. Taylor, known to pals as Ronnie, had just five months left to serve his sentence, his family said, and was planning to “start fresh.”
“We know that Ronnie was not an angel, but he did not deserve to die like that,” Taylor’s mother Maizie said. “We will always be wondering why you did this.”
His sister Stephanie added: “You took someone who wanted to lead a normal life. My brother is not suffering; he has no pain and he has no fear. We are the ones with that.”
Judge was not buying Paskimin’s tale
In arguing for a lower sentence, Paskimin’s lawyer told the court his client was also ready to turn over a new leaf. More time in the slammer could have a negative effect, lawyer Bill Roe cautioned.
“There has been a significant change in his character,” Roe added.
In 2009, it was a different world. The judge was not buying Paskimin’s rosy narrative.
And here we are, Paskimin is lying toe-tagged in a Muskoka morgue. Dead at 45. Except for his family, his forgettable life will soon be little more than dust.
For Paskimin, there will be no gold watch.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun