Transgender teen killer loses bid to stay in Ontario women's prison after threatening inmates and staff
A transgender woman convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a 13-year-old Edmonton girl who was lured to a golf course, sexually assaulted, strangled, stabbed, then bludgeoned to death with a hammer, has lost her bid to stay in a women’s prison.
Michelle Autumn, who identified as Michael Williams at the time of the killing, challenged her involuntary transfer from Grand Valley Institution for Women (GVIW) to Millhaven Institution, a male institution, in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice.
“Regardless of whether the decision to involuntarily transfer (Autumn) from GVIW to Milhaven constituted a deprivation of the applicant’s residual liberty, I find it to have been reasonable and therefore lawful,” Justice Kristin Muszynski wrote in a recent decision.
“The application is dismissed.”
Autumn was opposed by the Attorney General of Canada Sean Fraser and the wardens of both prisons, the judge wrote in her decision, dated Jan. 6.
Autumn, now 37, started serving her life sentence in 2007 for her role in the rape and killing of Nina Courtepatte in April 2005. Autumn was 17 at the time of the murder. Judge Janet Franklin said at sentencing that the crime was so “horrendous and evil” that she had no choice but to sentence Autumn as an adult. She is one of five people convicted in the teen’s death.
Autumn “has served the vast majority of her sentence to date in male institutions with a maximum-security classification,” Muszynski said.
“Over the years, (she) has been transferred between institutions on a number of occasions, usually due to (Autumn’s) extremely problematic behaviour which Correctional Service Canada (CSC) reports has been difficult to manage in any population.”
Autumn “was diagnosed with gender dysphoria” in 2014, said the judge. “She served approximately six months in a women’s institution in late 2017 before formally requesting to be transferred back to a male institution.”
In the fall of 2024, Autumn “was incarcerated at Millhaven in the Voluntary Limited Access Range,” which “houses inmates who do not want to integrate into mainstream populations but are still considered to be subject to similar conditions of confinement to inmates in the general population,” Muszynski said.
No matter where she is held, “gender-based accommodations are in place for (Autumn), including that non-emergency medical escorts, frisks, strip searches, and security camera monitoring be carried out by women staff members,” said the judge, noting Autumn “has a private toilet in her cell and access to a private shower every day.”
Her voluntary transfer from Millihaven to the women’s prison, GVIW, was approved on Nov. 25, 2024.
At a case conference before the move, “GVIW staff emphasized to (Autumn) that since GVIW is a small site, (she) would have to work to get along with everyone in her assigned pod or it may not be possible to accommodate her at GVIW.”
She was transferred to the women’s prison on March 6, 2025, where she lived in one of three pods that can house nine inmates each, said the decision, which notes Autumn “was subject to the most restrictive level of supervision in a women’s institution.”
She “consented to a routine strip search” upon arrival at the women’s prison. “Staff reported that (Autumn’s) behaviour was highly inappropriate, including playing with her penis and buttocks in a sexually suggestive manner.”
When another inmate in Autumn’s pod “expressed that she was uncomfortable” with the trans prisoner’s presence, prison staffers “were able to manage the concerns of this other inmate, but (Autumn’s) response was to threaten to assault or kill the other inmate if confronted again.”
Autumn “was placed alone in the double occupancy cell” in a different pod, said the decision.
When prison staffers planned to move her again on March 10, 2025, Autumn “was reported as being verbally resistant to the move,” said the judge.
“She barricaded herself into a shared common room with a broken television remote control that (Autumn) appeared to be attempting to use as a weapon. This incident lasted approximately eight hours.”
Guards at the women’s prison “could not de-escalate” Autumn, Muszynski said.
Autumn “covered all security cameras in the common room. She threatened self-harm and violence against other inmates and CSC staff. Every attempt to speak with (her), even to offer her food, was met with verbal assaults,” said the judge.
“The incident finally resolved when the Institutional Emergency Response Team deployed a chemical irritant grenade into the common room and then restrained and extracted” Autumn.
She “justifies her reaction by alleging that she was fearful of being exposed to transphobia if she was moved to another pod,” Muszynski said.
Several GVIW staffers said that, during this incident, Autumn “stated that she was a man and wanted to return to Millhaven. One staff member reports having provided her with transfer forms.”
Autumn “denies that she expressed identifying as a man and denies having requested to return to Millhaven,” said the judge.
Autumn “was transferred back to Millhaven on an emergency, involuntary basis. During the three-hour drive to Millhaven, (she) was reported as being highly agitated, refusing to sit down, screaming verbal abuse at staff and urinating in the vehicle.”
An assessment of the decision to transfer Autumn noted she “demonstrated a pattern of threatening staff to manipulate the outcome of a situation,” said the judge.
“It is further noted that (Autumn) attributes most of her ‘behavioural problems and conflict as the result of gender identity or policies not being adhered to’ which made managing (her) difficult to manage in any population.”
Autumn’s recent psychological risk assessment states “that risk factors for future violence are high and the ongoing behavioural issues in the institution support this assessment.”
Autumn has an Indigenous background, said the judge. “It is recommended that she re-engage with Indigenous Services to begin a healing journey to assist in reducing risk factors.”
She needs “a highly structured environment in which individual or group interaction is subject to constant and direct supervision,” said the assessment. “Returning to Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security men’s institution, will allow for close observation of Autumn’s behaviour and provide the CSC the opportunity to monitor their conduct and motivation.”
Her “demonstrated negative behaviours towards themselves and staff, proved to be of great concern when attempting to have them integrate to the more open environment of a women’s institution,” said the assessment. “An Emergency Intra-regional transfer is deemed necessary to ensure the safety of the institution. Autumn has been returned to an environment to which they are familiar with the resources and interventions, including access to culturally based services for support.”
Autumn argued that she “was not given enough time to integrate into GVIW before the emergency transfer back to Millhaven.”
She also said “GVIW was transphobic and did not support her placement within the institution.”
Her transfer back to Millhaven got final approval on April 14, 2025.
The approval noted the difficulty of reconciling Autumn’s “denial of reporting she was a male and wanting to be transferred back to a male institution when numerous CSC staff reported hearing her make these comments.”
It was noted “there were several significant moves which occurred within the institution … prior to Mrs. Autumn’s transfer to GVIW specifically in order to reserve a cell for her.”
There were case conferences with Autumn “as well as numerous meetings amongst CSC staff on how she could be accommodated,” said the approval.
“Further, additional funding was obtained in order to increase staffing at the institution to accommodate” her.
According to the transfer approval, “GVIW is not transphobic and worked diligently to support (Autumn), but given her risk factors, it is difficult to integrate her within any population.”
Autumn’s “reaction when she was informed that she had to be moved to another pod to a single occupancy cell resulted in an eight-hour stand off where (she) made threats, fashioned a weapon, and damaged CSC property,” said the judge.
She “admits to having grabbed her penis and spread her buttocks when she was strip searched and justified her behaviour by claiming that she was frustrated because of how long it was taking.”
CSC “provided evidence as to the efforts that were made to accommodate (Autumn) within GVIW,” Muszynski said.
“The efforts were significant.”
Wardens at both prisons have “a unique appreciation for the security environment within their institutions,” said the judge.
“The wardens of both GVIW and Millhaven concluded that (Autumn) was not manageable within GVIW given the totality of (her) behaviour between March 6, 2025 – March 10, 2025. Deference is owed to this conclusion.”
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