Emrah Bulatci will not see an early release from prison following a decision at the Supreme Court of Justice on Tuesday. Bulatci was convicted of killing RCMP Const. Christopher Worden in Hay River in 2007 and is currently serving a life sentence with no possibility of early parole.
In 2024, he applied for early parole under the Faint Hope Clause, a section of the criminal code making room for those serving life sentences to apply for early release if they have taken steps to transform their life. To date, the clause has only been available to people who committed crimes before 2011.
In 2007, Bulatci admitted to shooting Worden and admitted he was trafficking cocaine at the time.
Bulatci’s appeal under the Faint Hope Clause was denied by Justice Louise Charbonneau
As factors in the decision, Justice Charbonneau noted the seriousness of the crime, its impacts on Worden’s family along with the broader community and its implications amid the growing problem of drug trafficking and violence in the North.
