It’s a bitter way to end a life. A 76-year-old woman is denied a chance to visit with her husband and son because authorities have concluded she is just too dangerous. That’s the verdict of Corrections Canada on Jean Ann James. Now in the Fraser Valley Institution, she was convicted in 2011 of the gory torture slaying of her husband’s suspected lover, Gladys Wakabayashi. Wakabayashi was the daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire. Her bloody body was found with slashes on her legs and her throat sliced open. The convicted Ms. James says she desperately wants to be able to enjoy private family visits with her husband and adult son. Curiously, the two men are said to believe James is innocent of the crime, a fact that the authorities say they have noted. The evidence at trial included a recorded confession. The prison alleges that the woman has tried to poison one inmate and take out a contract on another. The elderly convict denies all the allegations against her and has asked the Federal Court for a review of the refusal to allow her private time with her mate of 40 years. James will be 94 when she is eligible for parole.
