In 1983, Tien Po Su followed a 16-year-old girl home, raped her, then killed her with such brutality that a pathologist could not tell whether she died from choking or a beating.
Sentenced to the mandatory life term for first-degree murder in 1985, Mr. Su, 39, says he should have the chance to plead before a jury for early release.
As Mr. Su sat in a cell at Kingston Penitentiary yesterday, his lawyer, Fergus O'Connor, asked Mr. Justice David McCombs of the Ontario Superior Court to allow a jury to decide whether Mr. Su's remorse, his Christian faith and the support of the woman he married while imprisoned are sufficient to give him that chance.
Under the so-called "faint-hope" clause in Section 745.6 of the Criminal Code, an individual sentenced to life imprisonment with parole ineligibility of more than 15 years can apply for a reduction of that period after 15 years.
Each prisoner must persuade a judge that there is a reasonable prospect of convincing all 12 people on a jury that the parole-ineligibility period should be reduced.
If the judge rules in the prisoner's favour, the case is presented to a jury and, if successful, the inmate goes to a parole-board hearing armed with the jury verdict. The prisoner must then convince board members that parole would present no risk to the community.
During Mr. Su's imprisonment, he has been moved half a dozen times to medium-security institutions, in efforts to involve him in group treatment for sex offenders. But each attempt failed.
He broke rules, dealt drugs and was found in possession of hidden weapons.
But he made friends -- although they were more in the category of well-meaning volunteers than true buddies -- and got married while incarcerated, Judge McCombs heard.
Mr. Su was 20 when he raped and murdered Deliana Heng, an Indonesian girl who was enrolled in a program that helps foreign students qualify for Canadian universities.
He has not said why he attacked Ms. Heng.
Pastors Ray and Leslie Johnson of Resurrection Life Ministries in British Columbia wrote to the judge that Mr. Su "is truly not the same man that he was when he was initially incarcerated. . . . We support the release of Mr. Su to his home country so that he may renew and rebuild the relationships with his family."
But in a powerful contrast, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Crawford presented Judge McCombs with psychiatric assessments that portray Mr. Su as manipulative and narcissistic -- even psychopathic.
Mr. Su has not successfully completed a sex-offender treatment program, and tests indicate his sexual preference is for female children.
Judge McCombs reserved his decision.