Man who murdered N.W.T. RCMP officer permitted 3 escorted outings

A man who murdered an RCMP officer in Hay River, N.W.T., almost 16 years ago has been permitted to make three escorted trips outside of prison.

Emrah Bulatci was 23 when he shot RCMP Const. Christopher Worden four times after being chased down by Worden. Bulatci had traveled to Hay River from his High Level, Alta., home to sell crack cocaine. Now 38, he has been incarcerated since his arrest in Edmonton six days after the shooting.

Bulatci was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

In a decision on Monday, the Parole Board of Canada agreed to let Bulatci leave prison to obtain a passport photo in order to get an Alberta ID card, go to a bank to open an account, and to go to a facility on the perimeter of the prison he's in to further learn about an unspecified culture.

In its written decision, the Parole Board says that, though he is not Indigenous, Bulatci has participated in Indigenous cultural activities such as sweat lodges, smudges, pipe ceremonies and pow-wows.

The board is recommending Bulatci be handcuffed and escorted by two corrections officers for the first two trips outside the prison, estimated to take about an hour each. They recommend that he be accompanied, without handcuffs, by one corrections officer or an elder for the culture-related visit.

Bulatci previously had an escorted release to get passport photos, but the photos were of poor quality and not accepted, according to the board.

While serving his sentence Bulatci has been charged 23 times with violating prison rules, including possessing drugs and testing positive for using them. He's had "heavy involvement" with the drug scene in prison. Over the last few years there has been a distinct reduction in the frequency of violations, according to the board "...of late you have demonstrated a desire to change your life by successfully completing numerous programs and being open, honest and respectful to your case management team."

During his hearing, Bulatci talked about being drawn into the drug dealing lifestyle at 16, starting out making $500 a week which rose to $1,500. The board said Bulatci's attitude changed when he had a child, now three years old, while serving his sentence.

"You now realize family is more important than money and said that you are no longer that violent person you once were," wrote the board in its decision.

Corrections officials did find a bottle of urine in his cell during a routine search last year. That's an offence because prisoner's can use another's urine to avoid positive results on urinalysis tests to detect drug use. But, according to the board, the charge against Bulatci was later dropped when another inmate said the bottle was his.

The board did not reveal where Bulatci is serving his time. He's been moved at least twice since being sentenced and is now in a medium-security institution.