Federal parole board documents show the 27-year-old man charged in a stabbing inside an Edmonton Sikh temple last month had a history of “serious and impulsive” violence, often driven by delusions, paranoia and conspiracy theories.
Austin Sim-Pelletier, who is facing charges for stabbing two men with a screwdriver inside the Nanaksar Gurdwara on Aug. 21, had been discharged from a federal prison the day before the early morning attack inside the temple.
Documents from the Parole Board of Canada released to CBC News detail his previous time in custody and his Aug. 20 discharge from prison on statutory release. That policy allows most federal offenders to serve the final third of their sentences in the community, under supervision.
A parole board decision from July shows that officials reviewing Sim-Pelletier’s file imposed special conditions on his release, intended to reduce his risk of reoffending.
“Your actions appear to be linked to underlying and unmanaged mental health concerns, particularly delusions and paranoia focused on your and your family’s safety,” board member Andrea Menard wrote in the July 8 decision.
‘New world conspiracies’
“Your delusions, which are centered around new world conspiracies and government control, have contributed to a profound distrust of authority, which can manifest as anti-authority behaviour, leading to defiant or hostile actions against perceived threats from government figures or policies.”
In its decision, the parole board noted that a May 2025 psychological assessment determined Sim-Pelletier had a potentially high risk for future violence.
He had struggled with past community supervision orders, the board wrote, noting that a string of previous orders granting release from custody had been revoked.
“The author of the report noted that given concerns in your case, as well as the extensive reporting of relevant risk factors within your file information, it could be argued that your propensity to engage in future violent actions, as well as your risk for returning to custody for any reason, is high.”
2024 assaults
Sim-Pelletier had been serving a sentence for a pair of assaults in 2024.
According to the documents, the aggravated assault occurred in August 2024 after a woman picked Sim-Pelletier up and brought him to her home.
Sim-Pelletier, who was under the influence of marijuana and cocaine, started “acting paranoid” and wanted to “tie the doors” shut inside the home. He accused the woman of stealing his money before punching her in the face five or six times, causing severe facial injuries.
He then ran out of the house and called police. When officers arrived, they found him in the driveway with the bleeding victim. A large steak knife was in his pocket, the parole board wrote.
According to the parole documents, the second assault occurred September 2024, while Sim-Pelletier was in remand custody.
In that incident, he punched a correctional officer in the face without warning while being interviewed, the report said.
While the parole board characterized Sim-Pelletier’s previous criminal history as “limited,” it noted his previous convictions for possession of a loaded restricted firearm, assault causing bodily harm, pointing a firearm, and mischief.
He committed 13 infractions while in custody, including disruptive behaviour and threatening officers.
In authorizing his Aug. 20 release, the board imposed a series of special conditions, including a requirement that he must live at a designated residential or psychiatric facility.
His release conditions also required him to take his prescribed medication, report all his relationships with women, and follow a mental health treatment plan imposed by his parole supervisor.
“Your conditional release history is concerning, including previous suspensions, revocations, breach of victim-contact conditions, institutional incidents, and a return to custody,” the parole board wrote.
“Your violent behaviour, which has escalated in frequency and severity, is a significant concern.”
The board noted that Sim-Pelletier was raised by his grandparents in a “loving home” and completed his high school education. He began using drugs as a teen.
Red Deer shooting
Sim-Pelletier’s first federal offence stemmed from his involvement in an April 2020 shooting outside a school in Red Deer.
On the day of the shooting, the parole board heard, Sim-Pelletier had arranged to meet with the victim in a school parking lot to have a fistfight. Instead, he showed up with a loaded, double-barrelled 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun, firing one shot into the air and another toward the victim, who was injured by the spray of shot pellets.
He was sentenced to three years and seven months for possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition, assault causing bodily harm, pointing a firearm and mischief.
In July 2020, while awaiting court proceedings for the shooting, he was arrested for pepper-spraying and threatening his girlfriend. Those charges were later withdrawn, but he was subsequently convicted of mischief.
On Oct. 25, 2021, he was released on day parole with conditions, but he was sent back into custody three days later after breaching those conditions by contacting his victim.
Nearly three weeks after two men were stabbed inside a Sikh temple in Edmonton, police have laid criminal charges in the case. Travis McEwan has the details.
During a news conference Thursday, Edmonton police announced Sim-Pelletier is charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm, one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief in connection with the Edmonton temple attack.
Police said they continue to investigate a possible motive for the stabbings, but there is no evidence to suggest the attack was motivated by hate.
Sim-Pelletier remains in custody, and the matter is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 18.
