Convicted murderer Matthew Munroe denied parole

A 31-year-old man convicted in the gang-related shooting death of Brandon Hatcher in Spryfield in 2010 has been denied both day parole and full parole.

Matthew Munroe, who was 17 years old at the time of the offence but was tried as an adult, has been serving a life sentence for first-degree murder since 2013. His parole eligibility was set at 10 years.

In December 2010, Munroe and two other men — armed with a shotgun, a handgun and an automatic weapon — killed Hatcher in retaliation for two prior shootings, all of which were gang-related.

In a decision released last week, the Parole Board of Canada said Munroe has been showing clear signs of progress, including the completion of correctional programs designed to help address his risk for reoffending.

But the board said Munroe has demonstrated poor institutional behaviour while incarcerated, having incurred about 25 institutional charges for incidents including assaults against other inmates and aggressive behaviour toward staff.

Lengthy criminal history

However, it said these incidents have reduced in frequency and are much less serious in nature, and that Munroe recognizes that "old attitudes supportive of crime and loyalties to people who are still engaged in drug use, possessing and trading contraband and who are generally resistant to working with people in authority are still issues" for him.

"This is an important insight, and it is important for you to make a final decision about which path you want to take going forward in your sentence. If you keep a foot on both paths, it will be difficult for you to make progress," the board wrote.

"Given your ongoing struggles to abide by institutional rules and your continuing vulnerability to the influences of people who are involved in the subculture, the board remains concerned that you will not be able to manage these key risk issues in the community where there is less structure and supervision."

The board said Munroe has a lengthy criminal history that dates back to when he was just 13 years old and has been linked "directly to attitudes of disrespect for the law."

The decision also noted psychological assessments and actuarial measures — a method used to measure an offender's risk to reoffend — all point to a high level of risk for violence.

"Psychological opinion and common sense suggest that you require a gradual release process while showing law-abiding and respectful behaviour in situations of increasing trust and responsibility," the decision said. 

"This process has only recently begun and has yet to show the kind of results that would give the board confidence in your ability to manage these key risk related issues."

Based on those factors, the board denied both day parole and full parole.

In 2016, Munroe failed in a bid to have his first-degree murder conviction overturned.