Day parole extended for Toronto teen killer
At 15, Todorovic convinced her boyfriend to kill 14-year-old Stefanie Rengel
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The teen killer has learned to play by the rules — at least for now.
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Melissa Todorovic, the jealous girlfriend who ordered the murder of her perceived rival Stefanie Rengel, has had her day parole extended for another six months at a Barrie halfway house. In a recent decision, the panel found Todorovic, 34, has been cooperative, respectful, and open to feedback from her probation officer.
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Enrolled in college since January, Todorovic is considered low risk and “engaged” in her current release plan. “A further period of day parole will allow you to demonstrate a balanced and productive lifestyle, while further building community support and preparing for an eventual full parole release.”
It also seems to suggest Todorovic will now be allowed more leave privileges to visit her parents in Toronto.
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At 15, Todorovic was obsessed with 14-year-old Stefanie because her boyfriend, David Bagshaw, had platonically dated her two years before. After a relentless eight-month campaign of phone calls, messages and sexual blackmail, Todorovic finally convinced her boyfriend to kill her.
On the first evening of 2008, Bagshaw lured Stefanie from her East York home, stabbed her six times, and left her to die in a snowbank.
Todorovic then rewarded him with the promised sex she’d been withholding.
Previous chance at freedom was revoked
This is Todorovic’s second chance at freedom after her first attempt at day parole was suspended just three months after it was granted in 2018 following the discovery of her manipulative secret love triangle with two ex-cons. It was then officially revoked after the board concluded she was back to her “offence cycle” of manipulating men to do her bidding.
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At her parole hearing in September 2025, she admitted she hadn’t been ready to be released seven years earlier. Lonely, she fell for the first guy who showed her any attention, knowing it was wrong , she said, and then took up with his best friend and played them off each other. She now recognized that her weak spot was gravitating towards men with low self-esteem so she could control them.
At last year’s hearing, Stefanie’s mother Patricia Hung warned the panel Todorovic hasn’t changed.
“She breached the conditions in a way eerily reminiscent of the relational manipulation that led to Stefanie’s murder, and unless evidence to the contrary is presented in this hearing, I do not believe she has addressed core psychological issues which directly contributed to Stefanie’s death, despite programming and counselling.”
In their most recent decision, extending her day parole for six months, the panel said she must still report all relationships to her parole officers, not associate with anyone involved in criminal activity, continue psychological counselling around areas of social anxiety and healthy relationships, and observe a 10 p.m to 6 a.m. curfew.
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