Patrick Kelly is a former

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

undercover agent and convicted murderer. He was an officer in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

's drug squad based in Toronto at the

Toronto RCMP Building The Toronto RCMP Building at 225 Jarvis Street was the headquarters for the RCMP "O" Division detachment in Toronto from 1972 to 1993. Prior to moving to the Jarvis street locations, the detachment had been headquartered in various buildings and ...

in the early 1970s.

Murder of Jeannette Kelly

In 1984, Kelly was convicted of the first-degree murder of his wife Jeannette Kelly by throwing her from the 17th floor balcony of The Palace Pier high-rise on Sunday, March 29, 1981, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He stated to police that he had seen his wife on the balcony, reaching out over the rail to investigate a rattle. Kelly testified she then slipped and fell to her death. At Kelly's trial, the Crown had evidence that he was working with organized crime, namely

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

. The prosecution experts testified that the great distance between the edifice and the location of Mrs. Kelly's body could have only occurred if she was strongly pushed.

Arrest and parole

Kelly was arrested for his wife's murder on March 2, 1983. His trial began in April 1984. He was convicted by a jury and was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years. The trial was covered extensively by Ontario and Canadian national news outlets. He was imprisoned at the federal inmate intake unit at

Millhaven Institution Millhaven Institution () is a maximum security prison located in Bath, Ontario. Approximately 500 inmates are incarcerated at Millhaven. Opened in 1971, Millhaven was originally built to replace Ontario's other aging maximum security prison, K ...

for several years as a security precaution due to his past as an RCMP officer. He was eventually transferred to

William Head Institution William Head Institution is a Canadian minimum-security federal correctional institution for men located in Metchosin, British Columbia, about southwest of Victoria on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. The Institution opened in 1959 and ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Kelly was given parole in May 2010.

Parole revoked

In November 2012, Kelly's federal parole was revoked, mainly because he had too many secretive relationships with women that he failed to disclose to the Parole Board. He was returned to federal prison. In 2016, he was given day parole and allowed to reside in Victoria, B.C.

Books and movies

In 2007, the second printing edition of the book ''A Master of Deception: Working Undercover for the RCMP'' by

Robert Knuckle Robert Gordon Knuckle (February 15, 1935 – March 3, 2019) was a best-selling Canadian author, actor and playwright. He was a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. Knuckle was an educator for thirty-five years before he started writing ful ...

was published by

General Store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

. The book gives a detailed account of the murder and the investigative process. The 1996 book ''The Judas Kiss: The Undercover Life of Patrick Kelly'' by journalist Michael Harris relates the real story of Patrick Kelly. The 1999 TV movie ''Murder Most Likely'' starring

Paul Gross Paul Michael Gross (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian actor, film and television director, screenwriter, playwright, and producer. He rose to fame for his lead role as RCMP Constable Benton Fraser on the popular Canadian television series '' ...

as Patrick Kelly was nominated for the 2000 Gemini Award for best TV Movie or Dramatic Mini-Series. The movie is based on Michael Harris's book ''The Judas Kiss: The Undercover Life of Patrick Kelly''.

References

External links

"A Master of Deception: Working Undercover for the RCMP" by Robert Knuckle" - Chapter 8, pg. 157-172
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Patrick Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Police misconduct in Canada Espionage scandals and incidents Police officers convicted of murder Canadian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment 1980s murders in Canada 1981 crimes in Canada 1981 murders in North America People convicted of murder by Canada Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Canada People paroled from life sentence Canadian police officers convicted of crimes