Accused murderer was out on early release, despite implication in jailhouse slaying: documents

A violent offender accused of stabbing a Winnipeg group-home manager to death just days before Christmas was out on early release despite being implicated in a jailhouse homicide months before his statutory release, according to documents obtained by CBC News.

Kane Ashley Antonio Moar, 21, was charged with second-degree murder in January in connection to the death of Ricardo Junior Hibi, 34.

Hibi was found unconscious and suffering from stab wounds on McGee Street in the West End on Dec. 17, 2018.

Documents obtained by CBC News show the Parole Board of Canada knew Moar had been implicated in a fatal attack on a fellow Stony Mountain Institution prisoner when he was released to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community.

Now friends and family want to know why Moar was released in the first place.

"It blows my mind … they're letting guys out that are prime suspects in murders that are soon to be charged," Tyler Rogers, a close friend of Hibi's, said late Friday. 

"It just doesn't make any sense at all."

New charges laid

This week, Moar and three other men were each charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Adam Kent Monias, 25, at Stony Mountain Institution on Aug. 16.

While those charges had yet to be laid when Moar was released, the Parole Board of Canada documents show the board was aware charges were coming when his statutory release was processed last October.

"Recent reports on file indicate on Aug. 24, 2018, security intelligence information was received that you were involved in the murder of an inmate. Reports note you will be charged with second-degree murder," reads the document.

"Your history of violence within the institution support concerns related to your overall propensity towards such future behaviours."

Moar had been serving a sentence stemming from an attack that saw him hit a man in the neck with a hatchet before stealing his bicycle in June 2016.

His criminal history dates back to a young age, according to the documents, and include convictions for aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

He has previously been found guilty of repeatedly stabbing someone he had perceived as a rival gang member.

Deemed a high risk

The parole board documents note Moar had also been institutionally charged a number of times during his incarceration. They say he had not gone through any programming while in prison and call him a high risk to reoffend violently.

"Your case management team (CMT) note you have been involved in crime since a young age and that there have been no breaks in your offending behaviour. Your offending has escalated over time," read the documents.

At a vigil for Hibi held days after his death, his fiancé Candace Woloshyn said Hibi was a foster parent for boys in need who worked to help kids get off the streets. Winnipeg police have previously told CBC News they believe Moar knew one of the teenagers fostered by Hibi at the home he operated and managed.

Friends said Hibi had plans to open a resource centre on Selkirk Avenue, something Rogers said was important to him because he knew what it was like to be a kid struggling on the street.

"This man was legitimately the glue that held so many of us together — he picked up people and raised them — he was selfless, humble and generous, he was loving," said Rogers. 

"It was already hard enough dealing with the loss as it is, and now we get this information …? I'm not going to stop helping his family until they get answers.

"There's no excuse in the world that this guy should have been let out."

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