Colin Thatcher is one step closer to freedom. A jury has accepted the former Saskatchewan cabinet minister and convicted wife killer's bid for a "faint hope" early parole hearing -- and he may have his children to thank for it.

The jury returned its decision Wednesday after about two hours of deliberating on whether Thatcher deserved a chance to leave jail early.

The Globe and Mail's Christie Blatchford told CTV's Canada AM from Moose Jaw, Sask., it was likely the impassioned pleas of Thatcher's children helped his case.

"It's very difficult not to feel an awful lot of sympathy for Mr. Thatcher's three grown children whose every being has been defined by the murder of their mother by their father," Blatchford said.

"It saw them lose both parents effectively when they were all pretty young. They made very moving appeals to the jury," she said. "I think the mercy we saw here (Wednesday) was probably directed mostly at the Thatcher children."

Thatcher is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years in the 1984 murder of his former wife, JoAnn Wilson.

Wilson was found beaten and shot to death on the garage floor of her Regina home in 1983 following the couple's bitter breakup. Thatcher is currently eligible for parole on May 7, 2009.

All three of Thatcher's children, who have stayed in touch with their father, pleaded for his release.

Greg Thatcher, only 18 at the time of his father's incarceration, dropped plans to go to university and instead stayed at the family home with his grandmother to raise sister Stephanie, 10 at the time, and Regan, then 14.

"Again another thank you to the jury ... we appreciate the effort they have put in the last couple of weeks and our family is very happy," Stephanie Thatcher said following the decision.

The jury heard several weeks of testimony during the hearing which was held to determine if Thatcher deserved a chance at early parole under the faint-hope section of the Criminal Code.

The clause gives convicted murderers a chance at parole after 15 years as an incentive to turn their lives around.
But, the final decision still rests with the National Parole Board.

Blatchford told Canada AM the fact that Thatcher refuses to acknowledge his guilt in Wilson's death may ultimately hurt his chance for an early release.

"Traditionally, I think it's safe to say that the parole board has generally not looked kindly upon applicants like Mr. Thatcher who don't express remorse. That may be the biggest stumbling block he faces there," she said.

Thatcher himself took the stand for several days during the proceedings. It was the first time he spoke publicly since being jailed.

He told the jury about growing up as the son of then-premier Ross Thatcher as well as about his rocky relationship with Wilson.

Thatcher talked about his last two decades in jail, where he witnessed stabbings and murders, pumped iron to stay sane, wrote a book, rode horses, raised cattle and learned the ins and outs of electrical wiring from a member of the Hells Angel.

Jurors were told by Justice Darla Hunter to consider a number of factors, including the circumstances of the crime, Thatcher's prison behaviour and the impact on the victim's family.

It is the second time Thatcher has asked to be allowed to apply for an earlier parole date. He failed at his first hearing in the fall of 2000.

With a report from the Canadian Press