By Canadian Press

Murderer who failed to return to halfway house had been at large twice before

Aug 30, 2019 | 9:39 AM

FREDERICTON — A convicted murderer who failed to return to a Moncton halfway house last week remains missing, and documents show he was unlawfully at large twice in the past.

The Correctional Service of Canada says 66-year-old Jack Woods, who is serving an indeterminate sentence at Dorchester Penitentiary for manslaughter and second-degree murder, didn’t return last Thursday from a 72-hour unescorted absence.

According to a parole board decision last May, Woods was granted day parole in 2008, but in 2010-11 he was unlawfully at large for five months before being arrested. The document says Woods was upset that he had been denied a request to move to another province so that he could help his son.

He was granted day parole again in 2012, and eight months later he went missing for two months before turning himself in. He told authorities he had absconded because he feared for his safety after incurring a debt.

Woods and another man from Vancouver were charged in 1994 after the bodies of two Alberta men, David Rosamond and Harvey Bernard, were found in shallow graves the previous year.

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Woods was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter and began serving a life sentence in 1996, the parole document says. It says Woods was “under the influence of substances” when he shot one victim and fatally struck the second victim with a stick.

Woods stands 5-7, weighs 223 pounds and has a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He is missing both of his little fingers. He also has a leopard tattoo on his right upper arm and skull tattoos on his left forearm and upper arm. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said Wednesday that police have received a few tips about Woods’ whereabouts, but the investigation continues.

According to the parole board decision, board members granted Woods two 72-hour unescorted temporary absences on May 22. They also approved a 60-day unescorted temporary absence during which he planned to show he could “function in the community and balance a work schedule while following ‘society’s expectations,’ ” the document says. 

The board members stated that they believed the risk was manageable.

“The board is satisfied you have made observable and measurable positive changes to support a finding that you can be released on the structured plan presented and your risk would not be undue,” they wrote in their decision, adding that the releases would “facilitate your reintegration as a law abiding citizen.”

In 2011, police cautioned that Woods was an experienced outdoorsman who “has let it be known that he is not prepared to go back to jail.” At the time, Woods was described as “potentially dangerous.”

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press