Of course, we wouldn’t want to put restrictions on a young widow killer free on parole who wants to enjoy his freedom by drinking in bars with his friends.

The parole board has removed parole conditions on Raymond Babinski that prevented him from consuming alcohol or being in places where the primary source of income is from alcohol – despite his blaming booze for his rape of 27-year-old Eva Mead in 1988 – and later killing her when she refused to drop the sexual assault charges.

Easing his way on parole is just another slap in the face for Mead’s family – her mom Eva Gulyas and son Jeremy Mead are outraged Babinski was released on full parole in 2021 and the 65-year-old is now free to enjoy the rest of his life while he has ruined theirs.

“Our family is devastated by this recent news. I had no idea this was happening,” Jeremy said. “This is a scumbag who was out on bail for breaking and entering and sexually assaulting my mother. He kidnapped her, tortured her, raped her and killed her and left her body to rot.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my mother and what happened to her,” he said. “I honestly thought the guy was going to die in jail. That’s what I was hoping for. But he has his freedom and we still have this death sentence.”

Babinski made Jeremy an orphan

Jeremy was just seven when Babinski made him an orphan.

His father had died 18 months earlier and his young mom was raising him alone while working at a nearby bank. Babinski lived in their Weston Rd. building and was infatuated with the pretty widow, but she wasn’t interested. In March 1988, he was charged with breaking into their apartment and raping her before her son’s eyes.

Babinski was released on bail conditions that included him staying away from Mead. He didn’t, of course.

Babinski broke into their apartment again and threatened to kill Mead if she didn’t drop the charges. She reported the frightening incident to police on Oct. 18, 1988, but when they went to arrest him the next day, he was nowhere to be found.

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Meanwhile, Mead left work at 5 p.m. to take her son to hockey practice. She’d never make it.

Her badly-decomposed remains were discovered seven months later near the Brampton factory where Babinski worked. Nude, she’d been strangled and her wrists and ankles bound with wire unique to a machine in his workplace.

After appealing his conviction for first-degree murder, Babinski was ultimately found guilty of second-degree, with no chance at parole for 20 years. Sentenced to a healing lodge in Quebec – he identifies as Metis – he was granted day parole in 2020 despite his unconvincing attempt at finally being accountable for the first time: he said he’d “blacked out” from alcohol and doesn’t remember the “alleged sexual assault” but takes responsibility “if” it happened.

Killer claimed self-defence

As for the murder, he claimed self-defence.

“You spoke of a struggle with the victim and stated that she swung a knife at you,” the parole board wrote. “Your immediate response was one of rage and her strangulation. Undressing her and binding her limbs were intended to humiliate her; the ultimate acts of poser and control.”

Despite a psychological assessment recommending against it, the board released Babinski on full parole in November 2021 with conditions that he stay out of the GTA and not consume or possess alcohol or be in a bar.

But in a decision last month, the board agreed to Babinski’s request to remove the alcohol conditions because he would like to attend bars and pick up alcohol with a person who’s name is blacked out. Despite acknowledging “substance abuse is associated with your violent and impulsive behaviour, which led to the index offence,” the board found he’s done well on parole and has been sober for 20 years.

His victim’s 82-year-old mother is outraged.

“I think somebody like him should never be let out,” Gulyas said. “He took her to a place and he tied her up with a wire and he strangled her. Now he has full parole and is allowed to drink? That’s how he committed his crimes. That’s crazy.”

Crazy, but terrifyingly true.

mmandel@postmedia.com