Where is Jasmine Richardson now? She lives a secretive life in an undisclosed location
A 12-year-old Jasmine Richardson planned and participated in one of the most horrific murders of the past century: The systematic killing of her parents and younger brother. She did it alongside her ‘300-year-old werewolf’ boyfriend, Jeremy Steinke, in the name of love. In reality, Steinke was a 23-year-old goth fanatic who led Jasmine down a dark path.
Authorities first believed that Jasmine had been abducted by the depraved murderer responsible for her family’s deaths. They soon learned that Jasmine was the architect of the horror. The Youth Criminal Justice Act prescribed a maximum sentence of ten years for Jasmine, which she completed in 2016.
Jasmine Richardson, who goes by J.R. in Canada, didn’t express remorse for her crimes during her final sentence review in May 2016. Richardson’s ten-year sentence included a stint in a psychiatric hospital followed by community supervision.
She’d lived in a group home and alone as she studied in Calgary in the final five years of her sentence. Justice Scott Brooker expressed hope that Jasmine wouldn’t reoffend:
“I think your parents and brother would be proud of you. Clearly you cannot undo the past; you can only live each day with the knowledge you can control how you behave and what you do each day.”
Brooker stated that Jasmine had hit all the goals of her rehabilitation. Residents of Jasmine’s former neighborhood in Medicine Hat expressed differing opinions on Jasmine’s release.
“If you’re old enough to do the crime, you should do the time,” a woman told CBC News. Other residents showed sympathy and opined that Jasmine deserved another shot at life. Sue England, one of Jasmine’s neighbors, told CBC News:
“I think we need to give her a second chance because of the age she was. The thing that I most think about is – how she will continue on with her life with that being a part of her past life? I have sympathy for her, but you can’t imagine anybody doing something like that.”
Justice Scott Brooker oversaw Jasmine’s rehabilitation under an Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) order. In 2012, Justice Scott reduced Jasmine’s progress reviews from two to one every year.
A court report praised Jasmine’s progress, lauding her positive response to treatment and adding that her remorse seemed genuine. “We are seeing she is in the community, she is starting to get her feet on the ground and build a life for herself,” attorney Katherin Beyak said.
“Society should be satisfied with the fact that the system has worked in this case,” Beyak later said. As far as we can tell, Jasmine hasn’t reoffended since her release. Therefore, she qualifies to have her record permanently sealed.
Richardson lives a secretive life in Canada, likely miles away from her family’s former residence in Medicine Hat. Ted Clugston, Medicine Hat’s mayor, agreed with Jasmine’s release but opined that she shouldn’t reside in Medicine Hat. He told CBC News:
“It was a terrible place for her and if she ever got found out or recognized it probably wouldn’t be in her best interest. She tarnished our community and hurt a lot of people.”
A young and impressionable Jasmine Richardson met Jeremy Steinke at a punk rock concert. The previously church-oriented honor student had gradually adopted a goth look: All black attire, heavy dark makeup, mesh, and a taste for unsuitable men.
She found her goth partner in Steinke, a self-proclaimed ‘300-year-old werewolf’ and ‘souleater.’ Richardson’s parents confiscated her computer and grounded her after learning of her blossoming relationship with Steinke.
Still, he managed to send messages to her via email. “I miss you more than killing people,” one email from Jeremy read. “Can we get together and kill people together?” Richardson appeared to change following family counseling, convincing her parents to return her computer.
Jasmine used the opportunity to plot her parent’s murder. “I have this plan,” she wrote to Jeremy. “It begins with me killing them and ends with me living with you.” A message from Steinke foreshadowed the Richardson family murdered:
“Their throats I want to slit. They will regret the shit they have done. Especially when I see to it that they are gone. They shall pay for their insulince. Finally, there shall be silence. Their blood shall be payment!”
Richardson talked to her friends about her plan, but no one believed her. Steinke started by stabbing Debra Richardson 12 times before stabbing Marc Richardson 24 times. He then waited for Jasmine to finish off her 8-year-old brother Jacob.
Jasmine initially denied participating in the murders but eventually came clean. She stated that she murdered Jacob because she didn’t want him to grow up an orphan. Brent Secondiak, one of the first officers on the scene, told CBC News that it took him years to get over the image of Jacob’s lifeless body. He said that he hoped Jasmine had truly rehabilitated:
“I don’t truly understand it – an act of horror and violence like that. But I hope we can just find peace and move on. My biggest fear is that she hasn’t [been rehabilitated], that she’s tricked those in the system, that she hasn’t moved forward. I hope she’s truly taken responsibility for this and is able to move forward.”
The ‘poster child’ for rehabilitation is proving to be a success story as she’s re-integrated into society. Her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy Steinke, continues to serve his life sentence.
