Update: Michael White has been granted day parole. The decision of a two-member Parole Board was released on February 8, 2021. White will now move to a half-way house — possibly in Barrie, Ontario — but with a number of restrictions so that his release back into society is “slow and gradual.”
The author attended the hearing via a ‘zoom’ call.
It was the summer of 2005 and Ashley White was a few months shy of her fourth birthday when her pregnant mother, Liana, was stabbed to death.
The attack allegedly happened in their family home in North-Central Edmonton. That’s right — allegedly — because there are two versions of what went down that fateful day:
1 – Police claim Liana was murdered by her husband Michael in their bedroom, directly across the hall from where their young daughter was sleeping.
2 – Michael White [who would be convicted of the crime a year later] says that didn’t happen. He also maintains he did not kill his wife.
About a week after Liana disappeared, her decomposed, semi-nude body was found near the top of a shallow ditch beside a dirt road, a kilometre or so away. The couple’s unborn son died as well.
Michael White was promptly charged with the killing. The following year, a jury found the heavy-equipment mechanic guilty of second-degree murder, and off to prison he went.
The former Canadian soldier is now in a minimum-security penitentiary near Gravenhurst, north of Toronto. After all these years, White still maintains his innocence.
Michael and Liana’s daughter is now an adult. Ashley White turned 18 on November 16, 2019.
For the first time, the youngster at the epicentre of one of Canada’s most sensational murders tells her story …
THE CRIME, THE FUNERAL
It was a warm day in July 2005 when scores of friends and co-workers of Liana White filed into a funeral home in downtown Edmonton to say goodbye to the 29-year-old hospital worker.
I was there, reporting for CHED Radio.
The service wasn’t especially long, but it was far more depressing than most. I recall mourners sobbing … and at the front of the small, crowded room, Liana’s closed, brightly varnished coffin adorned with fresh flowers.
Not an easy assignment.
The service was brief.
Those in attendance had both sadness and anger. Everyone had the same thing on their mind: who the hell did this?
Absent was Liana’s 28-year-old husband, Michael James White. White was also in the downtown area, but behind bars — at the Edmonton Remand Centre where he shared a jail cell with a likeable police plant who was doing his best to weasel incriminating information from him. The snitch got zip.
Michael, Ashley and Liana on a flight back from Ontario.
Homicide detectives slapped the former soldier with two charges: first-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead human body.
In an exclusive jailhouse interview, I heard Michael White out. We chatted for about half an hour.
The takeaway was that White said he loved his wife and would never harm her, let alone take her life. Few believed the guy — especially when his murder trial wrapped up. Twelve men and women didn’t take long to decide that White was guilty of 2nd-degree murder [plus offering an indignity to a dead body].
A judge sent him packing to a federal prison, with no chance of full parole for 17 years.
TWO THEORIES
The police theory is that Liana White was stabbed repeatedly with a serrated kitchen knife in the master bedroom of the family’s four-level split on Warwick Crescent.
White maintains his wife left the house that morning and, far as he knew, she was off to her job as a unit clerk at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Central Edmonton.
Before showing up at the hospital, Liana often dropped by her mother’s small, rented house — a few blocks north of where she and Michael lived. She did this to make sure that her mom, Maureen Kelly, was up so she could get to work on time.
It’s unclear if, that morning, Liana went instead to her mother’s house — and that’s crucial. If that happened, Maureen was one of the last to see her daughter alive.
In any case, Liana never showed up for work.
A few years ago, I received this email from a woman whose sister had worked on the same unit with Liana: “The Royal Alex said she was always on time and became concerned when she didn’t show. [However] my sister said it was common for her to arrive late.”
“At first, she didn’t believe it possible that he [Michael] would hurt her. She said Liana didn’t have a bad thing to say about him. My sister knew about the military discharge but Liana hadn’t shared this in any way to discredit her husband.”
NEW EVIDENCE?
After White’s appeal was rejected, a veteran private detective examined the police evidence and went through court transcripts — but more important, he uncovered important NEW evidence — in favour of White.
To say Bruce Dunne ran a bulldozer through the Crown’s case would be an understatement. The PI’s conclusion: Michael White was a thief, not a killer.
In a comprehensive three-binder report, Dunne revealed irregularities and sloppiness with both the police investigation and the murder trial. Further on in this post, you’ll find a link to a story with a list of things that — according to Detective Dunne — just don’t add up.
A strange quirk to all this is that five years after PI Dunne had completed his report, inmate Michael White had not read a single page. Was that laziness? … entitlement? … or, an admission of guilt? Who knows. One would think that anyone professing to be innocent would read a report that cast doubt on their conviction. Explain that one to me.
Edmonton lawyer Marilyn Burns dropped a bombshell that turned everything on its head. She revealed to half a dozen people — including myself many times — that a woman known to both Liana and Michael — someone suffering from mental illness, with a history of violent knife attacks on those close to her — has since owned up to the crime. Read that again.
How would jurors have voted if they had known that?
According to Burns, the woman confessed to her psychiatrist that it was she who killed Liana. It’s all on paper, the lawyer says, in a file in a shrink’s office in the Edmonton area.
The attorney had access to the file because she represented Ashley in a child welfare matter. I heard about the confession over and over because I knew the lawyer well and I was doing news articles on the White case.
LIVING IN ONTARIO
Ashley left Alberta more than a decade ago.
She now lives in a small town in Ontario with her paternal grandmother, Carol and Carol’s husband, Larry Forbes.
In 2019 the pretty teen was enrolled at a college where she was taking a medical course to prepare her for nurses’ training. Ashley’s goal is to become a registered nurse.
Ashley’s high school graduation photo [2018]
Twice Mario flew to Ontario to spend time with his granddaughter.
Mario reveals that he divorced Maureen Kelly after she attacked him with a kitchen knife at their South Edmonton apartment, slicing his hand open. The incident — unprovoked, he claims — was not reported to the police.
The life-threatening attack nose-dived that relationship. Does it every time.
After that, Mario slept in a separate bedroom — with a chair pushed up under the doorknob. What followed was a lock on the door … and divorce papers.
And then came Mario’s lucky day. He may not have picked the right woman, but he picked the right lottery numbers and won a million dollars. Arrivederci, Edmonton.
ASHLEY SPEAKS
Ashley has broken her long silence on her father’s murder rap. I spoke with her by phone on Sunday morning, December 1st, 2019. I was in Alberta, she was in Ontario.
Ashley describes her dad as “very affectionate.” She agrees with investigator Bruce Dunne that her father didn’t do it …
Transcript [edited for clarity]
Ashley: “I don’t think he did it either. ”
Author: “What makes you say that, Ashley?”
Ashley: “When you know dad, he’s not the aggressive-type … he’s like a Teddy Bear … [that describes] him, really.
“From the sounds of it, he really loved my Mom.”
Author: “He has a hearing coming up early in the New Year for unescorted passes, a mild form of parole. Do you plan to talk to the Parole Board?
Ashley: “Yeah, I wrote a letter, and I’m going to be attending …”
Author: “What did you say in that letter … if you could condense it …”
Ashley: “I would talk about how I’d love to have my dad with me because I don’t have my mom … and I’d like to have my Dad in my life.
“I’m really close with him and supportive of him.”
Ashley effectively disputes public statements made in 2005 by Maureen Kelly [her maternal grandmother], who alludes that Ashley heard and saw everything [Liana’s murder].
Keep in mind that Ashley was just across the hall when all hell supposedly broke loose: her mother screaming for her life, the attacker yelling, the skittish family dog barking and going nuts — quite a racket.
How does one sleep through something as wild as that? Did the child have hearing problems?
Or could it be that the vicious attack didn’t take place where police said it did …???
A long list of inconsistencies in the Michael White murder case is included in a previous blog story, Whitewashed?? Click here to view that piece [warning: not a quick read]
https://byronchristopher.org/2017/03/12/killer-lets-take-another-look/
ASHLEY WHITE, RN
Liana White had been a unit clerk at the Royal Alexandria Hospital — and now her only child dreams of working in the medical field as well — as a trauma nurse.
Ashley explains why she wants to become an RN …
[Clip runs :40]
Transcript [edited for clarity]
Ashley: “I like helping people and I’m interested in the human anatomy.
“[I worked] as a ‘co-op’ student at the hospital, and I really enjoyed it. And so I decided this is what I want to do …
“I was in day surgery, and that’s like right after [pause].
“I help prep people for surgery, follow the nurses, wake up patients — but I don’t give out medications or do charting.”
ASHLEY WHITE TODAY
Ashley White is living the life of your average teenager. She earns money by working part-time at a grocery store, lives with her grandparents, has a boyfriend she’s known for several years, the latest smartphone — and she’s gung-ho about basketball and English-style horseback riding.
More good news … she has no time for video games.
And in the fall of 2018, Ashley got what every teen dreams about — a driving licence.
A CHILDHOOD FROM HELL
Ashley had an early childhood that, for a year or so after her mother’s death, can be best described as a nightmare.
After her mother was murdered, Ashley stayed briefly with her maternal grandmother, Maureen Kelly. But that didn’t last long. Ashley was soon moved.
The child then went to another home in the Edmonton area before Alberta Social Services got involved and put her in foster care.
To this day, Ashley says she still fears ‘grandma Maureen’. She claims her grandmother threatened her recently. [more on that coming up.]
Maureen Kelly, Liana [Kelly] White and newborn Ashley [2001]
And who filed those complaints? Maureen Kelly.
Carol and Larry Forbes [Michael White’s mother and step-father] applied for full guardianship of Ashley. Thanks to the work of lawyer Marilyn Burns, they got it.
Ashley eventually relocated to the Forbes farm in Ontario where she began a whole new life. She enjoyed the fresh air, the wide-open spaces, helped out with chores on the farm, and settled into a new school where she made friends.
It wasn’t long before Ashley was traveling to see her dad at the prison near Gravenhurst. She’s now met with Michael numerous times. According to Ashley, they “connect really well.”
Michael White — who had been incarcerated in a medium correctional facility — has now been moved to a minimum facility next door. More freedom, fewer restrictions, less tension.
A READJUSTMENT OF INFORMATION
While Ashley has done well since leaving Alberta, there have been some hiccups. One happened in August 2012 when Maureen Kelly traveled to Ontario and got throwing punches at the Forbes farm, where Ashley was visiting.
Court heard that Maureen assaulted two adults, both males. After a judge found the former social worker guilty of assault, she spent a weekend in a country jail.
Maureen was also slapped with a two-year restraining order.
At the time of her daughter’s murder in 2005, Maureen Kelly had been the darling of the Edmonton media — which may explain why most news outlets in Edmonton ignored the story of her assault conviction and jail-time like it never happened. It didn’t fit their narrative.
Here’s a short blog story on that dust-up …
https://byronchristopher.org/2012/09/19/mother-of-murder-victim-liana-white-in-trouble-with-the-law/
A second, alleged incident was even uglier. According to Ashley, grandma Maureen approached her at her workplace and warned she would “end up like her mother …”
EARLY MEMORIES OF MOM & DAD
Transcript [edited for clarity]
“I remember some parts when I was younger with my mom and dad, but they were always good memories. I’ve never had any bad memories about them.
“I remember always wanting to see my dad when he came home.
“One time, I had a neighbour friend over and she got hurt and my mom gave her stickers and stuff like that — hospital stickers. They came in a square box; you get them from the doctor’s office. She always had them at the house.
“If I got hurt or one of my friends got hurt and she was crying, my mom would help her and give her a sticker.”
THE HEARING
Ashley White was in attendance when the Parole Board reviewed her father’s application on February 12, 2020.
Michael White applied for unescorted leaves [that is, without a guard tagging along]. He got his wish. But then Covid came along and he never went anywhere.
The hearing took place at the Beaver Creek Institution.
Photo courtesy of Bayshore News
Ashley wrote a letter to the Parole Board in support of her Dad. I’m told the gist of that letter is that her father should be granted unescorted leaves — and that she supports him 100 percent.
She hopes her father will eventually be given full parole … and that someday he can clear his name.
Michael White turned 44 on January 21st, 2021.
Guards at both the maximum-security prison in Edmonton and at the medium-security prison in Gravenhurst have described Michael White as a ‘model prisoner.’
White has already been granted escorted leave to work on community projects … [no reported incidents]. When he was out on bail and living in Edmonton, he traveled freely to Ontario to attend the funeral of his grandfather. Again, no incidents.
After all these years — and we’re talking about a decade-plus here — Michael White still maintains he didn’t do it.
It’s worth noting that just before White’s trial in 2006, he was asked if he’d plead guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter. But White turned it down, stating categorically, “I-did-not-kill-my-wife.”
The offer was made via his lawyer, Laura Stevens, and it happened while White was being held at the Remand Centre in Red Deer. Stevens shared with me that she drove back to her office in Edmonton and told her law partner, “Larry [Anderson], you know, I don’t think he did it!”
Laura Stevens
If Michael White had pled guilty to manslaughter, he would’ve been a free man years ago. Thing is, White would’ve also been a convicted murderer — forever. And he didn’t want that.
It begs the question if White was the real killer, why didn’t he accept the plea bargain instead of languishing in prison for ten more years? That doesn’t make sense if he’s guilty.
White attended a second parole hearing on February 8, 2021 in which he told the two board members that he was wrongfully convicted, admitted to having a less-than-perfect marriage … but that he’s taken courses and wants to leave prison a better man. Based on the four years she’d been dealing with White, his parole officer highly recommended that he get parole. She got her wish.
White was granted day parole, meaning he’s on his way to a half-way house, likely in Barrie, north of Toronto. He’s on probation for six months.
THE AUTHOR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Christopher
Byron Christopher 
Pingback: "Dad is NOT a Killer" by Byron Christopher - Easton Spectator
I always felt horrible for this young girl … especially with claims that she witnessed the murder. I do indeed hope they are false, for her sake.
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A great highlight to the damage all our fake news media does and the corruption of local police and judges.
An easy win seems more favourable than a fair and just win. It’s pretty messed up when we use people’s lives as tokens of victory.
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Good job getting the real facts out there! Yes, there is too much corruption within this country … from the Feds on down to the municipalities.
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I cannot seem to reply in a positive way. Emotional. I continue to look forward and enjoy … but feel sorry for the victims in your reporting.
This is another extraordinary story from your amazing life. You are one intriguing fellow.
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Breaking news: “Parole Board rules in favour of Michael White for un-escorted leaves.”
It’s so good to hear that there are times when the establishment does the right thing.
Congratulations to all concerned.
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Wow. This is unbelievably heartbreaking.
Thank you for sharing this story. Prayers that justice will be served.
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Ashley White should perhaps start FOIPing documents, or whatever they call it now, that pertain to her child custody case from the past. Marilyn Burns should be able to point her in the right direction. I’m very skeptical of Marilyn Burns and her claim to seeing such evidence in a psychologist’s notes.
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Correction- the story states psychiatrist’s notes. It seems to me that perhaps a psychologist’s notes on a child custody/child protection file would likely be more accessible to a lawyer than a guardian’s/NOK’s psychiatrist’s notes. But nonetheless, it’s all worth a big FOIP on the child protection file. Ashley was apprehended by child protection and put with fosters, so there should be a file on that.
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Good story … hope he clears his name, looks like he’s got a pretty good chance.
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Poor girl! Hope they catch up with that grandma!
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Good story … except that Micheal White is on CCTV several times moving his truck to a local strip mall with the door open and ran back home around 5:30 am or so … apparently he reported the truck stolen. He also led the search team to her body. Liana White wanted a divorce, she was pregnant … they used to have some domestic dispute issues…I’m sorry, that’s all great this new story, but, it’s quite evident Micheal White is guilty of murdering his wife.
Luminol showed blood all over the bedroom and on a bedroom lamp, his mom came out from Ontario and helped him clean that house. Micheal White put the bloody cloths he used to clean the crime scene up with, out for garbage pick-up that day, clearly not expecting the police to find these before the garbage was picked up. No doubt about it. He’s just a good liar. His behavior was definitely suspect and his mom and possibly dad (I can’t remember if dad was down from Ontario) know full well he did it. She/they helped him cover it up.
There is no mentally ill woman close to them that stabs people with serrated knives. Unless you’re referring to Liana’s mother Maureen. Maureen Kelly did not kill her daughter. She was a patron of my hair salon both before and after Liana was killed, bringing little Ashley. If she is mentally ill now, it’s because of the daughter’s murder. That was her only child. The lady never showed any sign of mental instability in all the years she came to the salon.
The only person that’s being deceived here is Ashley unfortunately. But she has to believe that dad didn’t do it, he’s her only parent … she isn’t going to believe he’ did that to her mother. Micheal White was exactly where he needed to be.
There was no botched police investigation, it was very evident he set the scene to look like he was a victim. Manipulative and without conscience, that’s Micheal White.
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