Convicted killer Jeffrey Ewert broke parole rules repeatedly before enrolling at McGill

Jeffrey Ewert, serving two life sentences for murder, breached parole conditions multiple times before taking law courses at McGill University, montrealgazette.com reports.

Convicted killer broke parole conditions multiple times before enrolling in McGill law courses

The Parole Board of Canada was aware that Jeffrey George Ewert — a convicted murderer serving two life sentences — planned to attend university when it voted in June to continue his day parole, despite a series of breaches of his release conditions relating to contact with women.

According to montrealgazette.com, Ewert has been taking law courses at McGill University as recently as earlier this month. A report by CBC, published online on Friday, quoted unnamed students who were upset "that the university did not disclose their peer's violent history." McGill University provost Angela Campbell addressed the matter in a message sent to students on Friday: "The matter is being carefully reviewed by the appropriate authorities at the university."

Ewert was initially convicted of first-degree murder in 1986. He appealed, went through a second trial, and was convicted of second-degree murder in 1996. He is currently serving two concurrent life sentences for second-degree murder and attempted murder.

A history of violence in British Columbia

In May 1984, Ewert met a woman at a nightclub and offered her a ride as she was hitchhiking. He strangled her inside his vehicle until she lost consciousness and sexually assaulted her. Her body was later recovered from a river.

Weeks after the murder, Ewert assaulted a 15-year-old girl who had rejected his advances, leaving her in a ditch and believing her to be dead. The girl was found severely injured, having suffered extensive brain damage. The written summary of Ewert's most recent parole decision states: "She continues to require intensive medical care and has never been able to live independently."

Ewert's crimes were committed in British Columbia. He has spent his most recent years incarcerated in Quebec, including at a federal penitentiary in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, 40 kilometres north of Montreal, where in 2019 he launched a legal challenge against Canada's attorney general over a prison transfer.

Parole granted despite "moderate to high" recidivism risk

In February 2025, the Parole Board of Canada granted Ewert day parole for the first time. In its decision of June 1 this year, the board agreed to continue that parole even though Ewert had breached his release conditions multiple times since 2025 and had still been assessed by a professional, using a psychopathy scale, as posing a "moderate to high" risk of violent sexual recidivism. The board noted that this risk was considered moderate "in a context of supervision (incarceration, halfway house) and clinical followup adapted to your situation."

The board also acknowledged that Ewert, now in his mid-60s, had expressed plans to attend university that fall, "conditional on completing a course beforehand," and that he was gathering information — parts of the board's decision were redacted — regarding eligibility for loans, scholarships and housing.

Multiple breaches since release

According to the parole board's written decision, Ewert was first released in March 2025 and quickly ran into difficulties. "According to your caseworkers, you quickly began to show difficulty understanding the expectations and legal obligations," the board wrote. In May 2025, he breached a special condition requiring him to disclose any relationships with women, including any attempts at contact. He had collected the phone numbers of multiple women. His attitude toward his clinical counsellor at the community residential facility also led to that counsellor withdrawing their support, and his day parole was suspended.

In August 2025, the board lifted the suspension and imposed two additional special conditions — one concerning telecommunication devices, another requiring him to follow a community access programme. He was released to a halfway house to continue his day parole.

In October 2025, Ewert breached his conditions again by failing to disclose his contact with a young woman, having texted her three times without informing his case management team. The board nonetheless agreed to maintain his release, noting that he had eventually shown transparency and had disclosed his offences and release status to the woman.

In December 2025, the board continued his day parole for a further six months and imposed additional special conditions relating to his relationships with women. He was also required to see a mental health professional and follow a treatment plan addressing the sexual dimension of his offending.

Dating website breach triggers latest concern

"You are now on a regular day parole since the beginning of March 2026," the board wrote in its June 1 decision. "Since then, you continue to volunteer on a voluntary basis, to carry out your legal work with lawyers and to attend Indigenous activities. However, your CMT is of the opinion that you seem to be reverting to your old patterns, and you breached a special condition."

The most recent breach involved Ewert — who identifies as Cree through his mother — registering on a dating website. He initially denied using the site, claiming his bank card had been hacked to access it, but later changed his account. The board noted that he had been "making comments, sharing your email and phone number and exploring the photos associated with profiles." Ewert told the board he had engaged in those exchanges out of boredom and "insisted that he was not thinking about it too much or fuelling any sexual desire."

According to the CBC's report, Ewert has not been seen on McGill's campus since October 6.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)