ReportConvicted of Femicide, Free in B.C.: The Pending Mexican RulingAired September 10, 2026 at 7:56 AM UTCWritten September 10, 2026 at 7:58 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00A Canadian convicted of femicide in Mexico is living free in British Columbia.0:04The conviction carries a prison term that could stretch to 50 years, but no sentence0:09has been imposed, and Mexico is not seeking his return.0:12The question is whether Mexico's three-judge panel will uphold the conviction, and0:17if so, how they will bring him back.0:19The killing happened on Mexico's Riviera Maya, more than 4,000 kilometers from0:23Dawson Creek, where Friesen now lives.0:26The case begins on March 3rd, 2023, at the Grand Sunset Princess Resort, where0:3123-year-old Chiara Agnew was found beaten to death in a laundry room.0:35Her boyfriend Ryan Friesen was found asleep beside her body.0:38In September 2024, a judge-only trial acquitted him.0:41He came home.0:42But Mexican prosecutors appealed, and in December 2025, a single appellate judge0:47reversed the acquittal, entering a guilty verdict on the femicide charge without0:50rehearing witnesses.0:52The reversal rested on the absence of other suspects, injuries consistent with a0:56beating, and Chiara's diary, which documented a history of intimate partner1:00violence.1:01The defense argues the beating was so severe it may have required more than one1:05attacker.1:06DNA found under Chiara's fingernails did not match Friesen.1:09It included at least one unknown male profile.1:13An independent Canadian forensic review confirmed that point.1:16Some relatives have suggested a cartel connection that the resort owed a criminal1:20tax.1:21A Sinaloa cartel source repeated a version of it, but Mexican prosecutors rejected1:25the idea and kept Friesen as the only suspect.1:27A former girlfriend also told investigators she experienced choking, beating, and1:31isolation from him and the same pattern of falling asleep after violence.1:35Kiara's family is divided.1:37Some relatives who reviewed additional file material now say they no longer believe1:41Friesen is responsible.1:42Others, including her aunt Tanya, reject that view.1:45Now, Friesen is in Dawson Creek free.1:48No bail, no house arrest, no curfew, no electronic monitoring tied to the Mexican1:52case.1:53Protesters say his daily life has barely changed.1:56He still plays hockey.1:57If the conviction stands, Mexican law mandates a penalty of 50 to 80 years for2:01femicide.2:02Reporting commonly cites up to 50 years, but no sentence has been imposed because he2:07is in Canada and the conviction is on appeal.2:09His lawyers filed an Amparo Directo, a constitutional challenge, before a2:14three-judge panel of a federal collegiate circuit court in Mexico.2:17The panel is reviewing due process, the presumption of innocence, the forensic and2:22DNA evidence, and whether the appellate judge's reasoning was adequate.2:25Mexico is not currently seeking his extradition or return for sentencing.2:29Officials typically wait for the foreign process to conclude.2:32If the conviction is upheld, an extradition process to return him to Mexico for2:36sentencing would begin.2:37Global Affairs Canada has said extradition is a matter of international cooperation,2:41and no Canadian jurisdiction applies to the offense committed in Mexico.2:45A change.org petition demanding he not remain free has roughly 5,600 signatures.2:51Protests have been held and planned in Dawson Creek and Fort St.2:54John.2:54Freisen awaits the panel's decision.2:56Abu Taif brought the petition to the House of Commons.3:00The case has pushed a legislative response.3:03In April 2026, Edmonton Manning MP, Ziad Abultev, presented petition ETA3:097071 in the House of Commons, Chiara's Law.3:12It would assert Canadian criminal jurisdiction over a Canadian who harms another3:16Canadian abroad, require Canadian forensic autopsies in suspicious deaths of3:20Canadians abroad, and strengthen consular advocacy for families.3:23It is not in force.3:25As of this week, there is no announced decision date on the Emparo.3:28Those following the case say a ruling could come any day.3:31If it upholds the conviction, the question becomes when and how Mexico brings3:35Friesen back to serve a sentence that could stretch decades.3:38If it does not, the acquittal could effectively return.3:41For now, the man convicted of killing his girlfriend in a Mexican resort laundry3:45room remains free in the town where she grew up, waiting on a decision nobody can3:49date.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗