Killer, rapist gets 60-day prison absence without escort

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A killer and rapist who terrorized Southern Ontario in 1990 will be released from prison without an escort to attend a 60-day community re-integration program in a residential facility on Vancouver Island.

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John Cody, 63, who used to be named Peter John Peters, still presents a moderate to high risk of engaging in violent and sexual crimes, the Parole Board of Canada concluded in a Feb. 5 ruling.

But the risks are lessened as long as Cody avoids intimate relationships, the board ruled.

Cody has received excellent marks in many programs, has no recent record of problems in prison, and has received daily passes to work on a construction team outside the prison for almost a year without concern, the parole board noted.

“It is the board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society during your absence,” the board told Cody in its ruling.

“In the absence of an unstable relationship, or a return to substance abuse,” Cody’s release is “manageable,” the board ruled.

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The board put seven conditions on Cody’s release, including he not consume alcohol or drugs or associate with any criminals; he report any relationships or friends made with females; and he stay away from technological devices without written permission from his parole supervisor.

Cody has to report into the residential facility daily and is under a 10 p.m. curfew. He’s allowed to go to support meetings and go shopping while at the residential facility but is not allowed overnight leaves.

Cody can’t travel to Alberta or Ontario without written permission from his parole officer and cannot contact the families of victims.

“Your offending caused devastation to several families. They continue to feel the grief, loss and harm even decades later. Some remain fearful of you,” the board noted. “The carnage, destruction, grief, and loss you caused in such a short period in 1990 is difficult to fathom.”

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Cody began a crime spree with the Jan. 20, 1990, killing of Charlene Brittain, 25, in his London apartment.

Two days later, he fatally assaulted a Toronto parking attendant, Albert Philips, 63, and the same day kidnapped, beat and stabbed Sandy Bellows-DeWolfe in St. Catharines. Cody had taken her to woodlot in Brant County where her life was saved by axe-wielding retired police officer Al Pike.

The discovery of Brittain’s body in Cody’s storage locker began a Canada-wide hunt that included 11 police forces and 1,000 officers.

On the lam, Cody also threatened to kill another woman, threatened two other people at gunpoint and stole their cars, and robbed a bank.

He was caught at a roadblock in Sault Ste. Marie in late January and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.

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Cody grew up in a “psychologically and physically abusive home” where alcohol abuse and negative attitudes toward females were prevalent, the board noted.

“You deliberately approached vulnerable women as they would an easier target for sex,” the parole board said.

Cody had sex with school staff, eventually had more than 200 sexual partners and lived with about 20 women, the board said.

Four years ago, the parole board rejected Cody’s bid for the 60-day unescorted pass to the residential facility and program on Vancouver Island. It also denied day parole a year later.

But Cody continued taking counselling, which he pays for himself, and completed vocational programs and certifications for construction work, the parole board said.

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In May 2024, Cody began working with a construction company under a release that was extended in November for another six months, the parole board said in its latest ruling.

“Over the duration of your work release you demonstrated your manageability in the community,” the board told Cody.

The program on Vancouver Island offers life skills, social skills and community connections, aimed at helping Cody re-integrate into society.

Family members of the victims of his crime could not be reached for comment.

At an earlier parole board hearing, Cody said he changed his name because he wanted to start his life over again after attempting suicide.

rrichmond@postmedia.com

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