A Montreal Parole Board Granted a Murderer Permission to Use Sex Workers

How the Canadian justice system failed Marylène Levesque

Marylène Levesque was a beautiful, kind woman. She was a normal 22-year-old, who loved her Italian greyhound puppy and her boyfriend.

Although Marylene lived a very average life, she did have an occupation that separated her from some women her age. She was employed in the sex work industry as an erotic massage therapist.

Sex work is work, sex workers are people. This story exhibits how ignorant our justice system is to this simple fact.

The opposite of Marylène’s sunny disposition is the dark character of Eustachio Gallese. Gallese is a 51-year-old man who was convicted of murdering his spouse in 2004. He beat Chantale Deschesnes with a hammer and stabbed her until she died.

For this atrocious crime, Gallese was charged with a life sentence (25 years in Canada). He gradually acquired more freedom through good behavior. He was downgraded from a serious offender to one less likely to re-offend. This resulted in him eventually getting day parole at a halfway house in 2019.

When he met with a parole board in September 2019, this habitually violent man asked for permission from them to use sex workers to “satisfy his sexual needs”. This appeal was supported by his caseworker. The parole board approved Eustachio Gallese’s request. The only stipulation was that Gallese report all his interactions with the women to his caseworker.

This is a direct quote from a document from the parole hearing acquired by Vice News:

“Although you are still single and you say you aren’t ready to enter into a serious relationship with a woman, you are able to efficiently evaluate your needs and expectations towards women,” the written summary says. “During the hearing, your parole officer underlined a strategy that was developed with the goal that would allow you to meet women in order to meet your sexual needs.”¹

In other words, a cold-blooded, habitually abusive man was granted legal access to some of society’s most vulnerable people to “satisfy his sexual needs”.

Three months later, Eustachio Gallese was banned from a Montreal massage parlor that he frequented because he was being violent with the employees.

Unfortunately, one of the employees of the massage parlor, Marylène Levesque, decided to give Gallese another chance. She met him in a hotel room for an appointment on January 22, 2020.

The following day, Eustachio Gallese turned himself into the Montreal police. Gallese led them to the hotel room where 22-year-old Marylène Levesque lay deceased.

Marylène Levesque had defensive wounds and had been stabbed, according to Le Journal de Québec. The newspaper was the first to report that Marylène had worked in the massage parlor that Gallese was a regular customer at. They also reported that Gallese had bought Marylène gifts, including a television for Christmas.

The parole board was aware that Eustachio Gallese is a habitual abuser of women. They had documented proof that he used to physically assault his ex-partner and he was still approved to use sex workers for his gratification.

This is another heartbreaking example of how sex workers are viewed as less than in the eyes of the law. He wasn’t allowed to date women, but he was allowed to meet sex workers in hotels for sexual encounters.

Marylène Levesque is dead. The law failed to protect her and every woman in Montreal. Currently, there is an internal investigation being conducted regarding the circumstances of the parole board’s decision to allow a murderer to use sex workers. This investigation is being handled by the Federal Correctional Service Agency and the Parole Board of Canada.

I hope that Marylène’s death wasn’t in vain. My hope is that her story will prompt our justice system to make some much-needed changes to their parole criteria in regards to dangerous offenders and sex workers. Eustachio Gallese shouldn't have been allowed to own a dog, let alone be granted permission to meet with sex workers to “satisfy his sexual needs”.

Rest in peace Marylène, I hope your soul is at peace.

[1]: Anya Zoledziowski. (Jan 30, 2020). Sex Worker Killed After Paroled Murderer Allowed to Satisfy ‘Sexual Needs’ https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/884xd3/sex-worker-killed-after-paroled-murderer-allowed-to-satisfy-sexual-needs

Amy Cottreau is a freelance writer who hails from a small city in Atlantic Canada. She enjoys interacting with fellow writers, dreaming of ideas for her next article, and researching a myriad of topics. Feel free to follow her on Twitter!