“Is She Dead?”

I don’t know very much about the young woman who uttered the words “Is she dead”. There isn’t a lot of information available to me about her early years. However, what was available to me is just as troubling as the words uttered. This is the story of what happened to Stefanie Rengel in 2008, in Toronto, Canada.

From what littler information I could gather, Melissa Todorovic was an “A” student, set for success. She had it all – a loving family, friends, good grades, and a boyfriend. She was 15 years old when obsession over this boyfriend took hold of her.

By all accounts, Todorovic didn’t know 14-year-old Stefanie. They had never met. But, they did share one thing – or one person, rather – in common. David Bagshaw. He was Todorovic’s boyfriend at the time, but he had previously dated Stefanie a couple years prior, though it would seem that it was more of a friendship and less of a romantic entanglement. It also seemed that Todorovic really didn’t like that very much.

Over the course of 8 months, Todorovic would harass Bagshaw, who was 17 at the time, daily. The source of the harassment? His relationship – said to be more platonic than romantic – with Stefanie. For 8 months, Todorovic would use emotional and sexual blackmail to manipulate Bagshaw. And she was very good at what she was doing.

Phone calls, 50,000 MSN Messenger messages, and thousands of text messages were exchanged between the couple for those 8 months. This usually involved Todorovic acting on extremely jealous impulses, asking Bagshaw to kill Stefanie. Only then, would her insecurities be quelled. 8 months of such intense abuse can certainly take a toll on a person.

On New Years Day 2008, just days before he was to turn 18, Bagshaw made up his mind. He lured Stefanie away from her home and stabbed her six times, leaving her to bleed out in a snowbank. Deed done, Bagshaw hurried to tell his girlfriend what he’d done.

“Is she dead?” Todorovic asked. That was all she cared about – the destruction of a person she considered to be her romantic rival. Bagshaw confirmed that yes, she was dead. He was rewarded with the previously withheld sexual activities for his actions. However, the teenagers didn’t have long to celebrate.

Within hours, both were arrested for the murder of Stefanie Rengel. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), they were tried – separately – as youths for first-degree murder.

Bagshaw plead guilty. He was sentenced as an adult to life with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Todorovic was convicted at trial and sentenced as an adult to life with the possibility of parole after 7 years. Presiding the trial, Justice Ian Nordheimer had the following to say about Todorovic: “The puppet master is not less blameworthy than the puppet… Indeed, I would suggest that the master is more culpable since he or she puts the wheels in motion and then stands back under a façade of disassociation while the scheme that they have created unfolds.”

The judge was not fooled – he saw Todorovic for what she was: a master manipulator.

In February 2014, the Ontario Court of Appeal refused to overturn her conviction. At the same time, they refused her bid to be sentenced as a youth rather than an adult. The appeal and the bid process delayed the parole process, much to the relief of prosecutors and Stefanie’s family.

That would all change on November 27^th, 2018. After serving 11 years for first-degree murder, Todorovic was granted 6 months of day parole. At 26 years of age, she told the Parole Board that she had accepted full responsibility for the murder.

Adolfo Rengel, Stefanie’s father, seems to disagree wholeheartedly, saying: “Melissa Todorovic is a very smart woman and obviously extremely good at manipulating for her advantage.”

Todorovic herself insists that she has dealt with her issues of jealousy, anger, and low self-esteem. Many are very, and understandably, skeptical of her claims.

Todorovic has definitely proven herself a skilled manipulator. Has she honed these skills while incarcerated? Patricia Hung, Stefanie’s mother, seems to think so, saying: “I do not see a changed person in Melissa. I see someone who has become more cunning, hoping with those few words of so-called remorse that she is fooling those who should have the expertise to see through them. I do not see empathy here, except for herself.”

Currently, Todorovic awaits transfer to a halfway house in Brampton, Ontario. The Parole Board has imposed strict restrictions on Todorovic as a condition of her parole. She must report any relationships – including friendships and intimate relationships – to her supervisor. She is also ordered to avoid the families affected, and must report any accidental or incidental contact with them.

Only time will tell us whether Melissa Todorovic is truly as rehabilitated as she’d have us believe. But – isn’t it interesting that the young woman who one asked her boyfriend “Is she dead?” claims to take full responsibility for her actions, but has yet to apologize?

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Sources:

From the Toronto Sun:
Mastermind in Stefanie Rengel murder loses appeal by Michele Mandel
Woman who orchestrated Rengel killing granted day parole by Sam Pazzano Courts Bureau
Killer Melissa Todorovic still pulling the strings? by Michele Mandel

From CBC News:
Rengel’s murderer sentenced to life – author unknown