Convicted killer’s trip to Canada derailed

OLYMPIA – Canada’s still a long way off for child-killer John Medlock.

The U.S. Department of Justice will not approve Medlock’s request to transfer to a prison in British Columbia, according to Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle.

Earlier this week, Gov. Gary Locke recommended against allowing Medlock – a Canadian citizen raised in Spokane – to move from prison in Walla Walla to prison in British Columbia. Washington’s Department of Corrections also opposed the move.

“If the state does not approve it, then it is clearly denied,” said Langlie. “The decision essentially rested with Gov. Locke. His recommendation basically stops any possibility of transfer.”

She said the Canadian government – which had agreed to accept Medlock – has been notified that he won’t be coming. Medlock’s attorney in Seattle, John Muenster, did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment for this story.

Medlock reportedly wanted to be closer to his family in B.C. Under federal law, foreigners convicted of a crime in the United States – as well as Americans convicted of a crime in other countries – can petition to serve out their prison sentences in their home country.

Locke objected, however, because the transfer could also have made Medlock eligible for parole as early as next spring. Medlock is less than halfway through a 26-year, eight-month sentence for beating to death a 13-year-old runaway girl in his Spokane motel room. Under Washington law, Medlock’s earliest possible release date is Feb. 1, 2017.

“It has been my policy that people who commit heinous crimes in Washington state serve their sentences under Washington state law and control,” Locke said.

Medlock was arrested 11 years ago, after having sex with a Tacoma runaway Rebecca Hedman, 13, a crack addict who was surviving on Spokane’s streets by working as a prostitute. Medlock killed her with a baseball bat, striking her in the head from behind after she wouldn’t return the $50 he’d paid for sex. Her body, wrapped in a blanket, was found along the Spokane River. Medlock fled to Vancouver, B.C., but was arrested, extradited and convicted in Spokane.