British Columbia

Animal killer Kayla Bourque to live in New Westminster, warn police

A public notification has been issued for a woman convicted of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.

Bourque was last arrested in March for breaching one of 46 probation conditions

Kayla Bourque was convicted in 2013 of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, killing or injuring an animal and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

A high-risk violent offender who was convicted of torturing and killing animals and admitted to wanting to kill homeless people will soon be living in New Westminster, B.C.

Police issued an advisory about Bourque's future residence on Friday. The New West Police Department said it would be "working closely with the Ministry of Justice, Corrections Branch to ensure the safety of the community."

Kayla Bourque, 25, was convicted in November 2012 of causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to animals, willfully and without lawful excuse, killing animals, and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The child pornography charges she was facing were stayed.

Though Bourque was only sentenced to two months, a judge imposed 46 conditions on her three-year probation.

In March 2013 she was arrested for breaching the conditions of her probation surrounding her use of the internet.

According to court documents, Bourque was arrested after allegedly accessing social networking sites and possessing a computer or device capable of accessing the internet.

Under the terms of her probation, Bourque is only allowed to access the internet to look for work.

Studied criminology

Bourque had been living in Prince George, B.C. when she moved to Burnaby to take criminology classes at Simon Fraser University. Police alleged her intention was not to fight crime, but to learn how to commit crime and not get caught.

She took courses in forensics, violence and aggression, and criminal profiling, but then confided her allegedly homicidal ambitions to a classmate, who turned her in to police.

Bourque was initially arrested under the Mental Health Act. A search of her residence turned up a blue nylon bag with a kitchen knife, a razor blade, three large garbage bags and a hypodermic needle; a mask was found nearby.

Police also found video clips depicting her killing and hanging the family dog.

In a search warrant for her premises obtained by CBC News, investigators alleged:

  • Bourque had thoughts of killing a drunk SFU roommate, but decided there'd be too much evidence.
  • Bourque wanted to get a gun and shoot homeless people.
  • Bourque persuaded a suicidal boy, online, to kill himself.
  • Bourque fantasized about killing someone during a home invasion.

Bourque's family told CBC they believed she was ready to take the next step and start killing humans.