Murder victims' families outraged over Ontario killer's move to medium-security prison

The families of two people killed by an Ontario man are demanding answers from the federal government after the multiple murderer was moved to a medium-security prison.

They say Mark Smich should be serving his life sentences in a maximum-security prison.

While Smich was moved two years ago, the families say they are speaking out now after recent national outrage over a similar transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo. That transfer is under review, and the families of Smich's victims are calling for similar scrutiny of Smich's file.

"Does anyone really think that someone who has killed several people and never expressed any remorse is going to be a new person after their sentence?" Linda Babcock, the mother of one of Smich's victims, told The Canadian Press.

"Why should you kill two people, write a song about it and then be in a more comfortable location — come on."

Smich, along with his friend Dellen Millard, killed 23-year-old Laura Babcock — Millard's former flame — in July 2012. The pair went on to kill a stranger, Hamilton's Tim Bosma, 32, after taking him and his truck for a test drive 10 months later.

In 2016, a jury found both guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Bosma. In 2017, another jury found the pair guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Babcock, whose body has never been found.

Last week, Ontario's highest court dismissed the killers' appeals on both murders. They are currently serving two life sentences each.

The pair were originally sent to Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ont., a maximum-security prison outside Kingston, Ont., that houses some of Canada's most notorious criminals.

In May of 2021, five years after his first conviction, Smich was transferred to Beaver Creek Institution, a medium-security prison in Gravenhurst, Ont., before briefly moving to another medium-security prison and then back to Beaver Creek.

The families got notification of Smich's move, but not an explanation, said Linda Babcock, Laura Babcock's mother. 

While the fact Smich is in medium security has weighed on the Babcocks and Bosmas for a while, the families say the national furor over Bernardo's transfer prompted them to speak out.

Bernardo's move from maximum security to a medium-security prison in Quebec triggered cross-country anger and even calls for the resignation of the public safety minister in recent weeks.

Linda Babcock, speaking on behalf of her family and the Bosmas, said Smich's transfer deserves a review too.