A man convicted of killing two people in southwestern Ontario has been granted day parole.
Peter John Peters, who changed his name to John Cody, has received permission from the Parole Board of Canada to leave his halfway house during the day for a total of six months.
Back in 1990, Cody stabbed a woman to death in a London apartment before fatally beating a man with a metal pipe in Toronto. His crime spree also included sexual assault, kidnapping, attempted murder, and more.
Cody escaped a minimum security prison in 2007 but turned himself in one day later. He claimed he did this because he was anxious about an upcoming parole meeting since he would be face-to-face with his victims.
In a written decision, the Parole Board of Canada said day parole will help him towards his goal of rejoining the community.
"Having weighed and considered the relevant factors of your case, the Board finds you will not present an undue risk to society if released on day parole," read the Board's decision.
Several reasons for granting parole were given by the Board. They include Cody's completion of several programs, previous successful escorted and unescorted leaves of absence, and his plan for the six months, which includes counselling and working in construction.
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) also recommended granting day parole before the Parole Board made its decision.
Support for Cody's parole was not universal. A victim impact statement was given to the board by one of Cody's victims, with a family member of a separate victim doing the same.
Each strongly objected granting him parole, with both expressing their support for the death penalty for cases like this.
"[One victim] describes the determination and motivation it took to write her statement, as thinking about your actions can cause her to panic and have sleep difficulties," read the Board's decision.
Multiple risk assessments done also suggest Cody is at a high risk of reoffending. This included a Psychological Risk Assessment (PRA) done in December 2024, which assessed him in the high range for committing violent crimes.
Cody's day parole started in early December and is taking place on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
