A Cambridge man who pleaded guilty in a crash that killed his former partner, with whom he had two children, has been granted day parole, despite pleas from the victim’s family to deny the request.

Karli Chomick was killed in a single-vehicle crash on May 24, 2020, on Branchton Road in North Dumfries.

The 28-year-old is remembered as a devoted mother and a kind person.

Her former partner and the father of her two children, Kyle Byrne, was later charged.

He pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death in November 2021 and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Now, 14 months later, he’s been granted day parole to a halfway house.

“It's not surprising,” said MADD Canada CEO Steve Sullivan. “We see this a lot with those who are serving time for impaired driving causing death. These are individuals who often have no other criminal history.”

PLEAS FROM FAMILY

Before reaching the decision, the parole board heard tearful presentations from Chomick’s mother and two of her aunts.

“What about Karli? She seems to have been forgotten in all of this,” her mother Dani Chomick said. “What about her family, the ones that will be doing a life sentence, a true life sentence?”

The family said Byrne did not call 9-1-1 after the fatal crash. He instead called his mother.

He also allegedly tried to claim that Chomick was the one driving that night.

The family said Byrne has never apologized and declined the opportunity to do so in court.

During the parole board hearing, Byrne offered an apology for his actions saying, “They were selfish, they were wrong. I am remorseful. I know I should have apologized earlier, but I didn’t know how.”

When parole board members asked about the circumstances that led him to get behind the wheel while impaired, or who he called after the crash, Byrne said he has a brain injury and cannot remember details from that night.

'NOBODY THINKS THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE ONE'

Sullivan attended the hearing and said he hopes the story sends a strong message not to get behind the wheel while impaired.

“Nobody thinks they're going to be the one to cause a crash and kill somebody, and that's a problem, right? They all think they are going to get home safely, and their biggest concern is that they see a cop,” Sullivan said. “I hope these kinds of stories, as tragic as they are and as unjust as they seem to people, I do hope these kinds of stories -- as they get profile -- do remind people that this can happen… the risk if you're drinking or you're smoking cannabis, your risk of doing this increases.”

The parole board decision comes with some conditions, including Byrne does not drink alcohol, he must take prescribed medications and meet with a mental health professional. A court ordered driving prohibition is already in place for 13 years as part of his sentence.

A written decision from the parole board, including their reasoning, will be provided at a later date.