Ontario man who killed mother granted full parole after 12 years
After killing his mother at age 15 and receiving a life sentence in 2010, an Ontario man has been granted full parole.
Cody Barnoski, now 29, was given an adult sentence for first-degree murder in 2010 for the violent death of Michelle Barnoski in Warkworth, Ont.
The 2008 murder shocked the small community about 50 kilometres northwest of Belleville, leading police on a two-week search before Michelle Barnoski was found buried in her own backyard.
She had been shot eight times in the head and neck and brutally beaten after an argument with her son over skipping school.
Cody Barnoski was granted full parole with a number of conditions, according to a Parole Board of Canada decision dated Sept. 21.
He had first been granted day parole in the fall of 2020 after he served parts of his original sentence at Millhaven, Beaver Creek and Sprucedale Institutions.
In its decision, the board noted the progress Barnoski has made since his incarceration and ruled he would “not present an undue risk to society.”
The conditions include not having contact with anyone involved in criminal activity and not to contact the family members of the victim, both of which are standard upon release.
Special to Barnoski, he must meet with a mental health professional to discuss “emotions management and reintegration stressors and follow any recommended treatment plan or program.”
Upon being sentenced, Barnoski was given a lifetime weapons ban and was required to provide a DNA sample to a federal database.
Barnoski’s co-accused, Marc Vickers, the Barnoskis’ roommate and landlord, was also given a life sentence in 2010. His final appeal was dismissed in March 2020.
Nina Pelletier, Michelle Barnoski’s sister and Cody’s aunt, told Newstalk 580 CFRA she was shocked by the decision to grant her nephew full parole
Pelletier said she had submitted a letter to the parole board in July and had expected a hearing would be held but was informed of the decision the morning it was made.
Parole board outlines Barnoski’s progress, tough upbringing
Barnoski was an only child and both of his parents had substance abuse issues, struggled financially and moved often, the parole board noted in its decision.
He attended nine different schools in 10 years and showed behaviour problems when he was as young as seven, used cannabis at nine and spent most weekends with his grandparents.
The parole board noted Barnoski was “verbally and physically abused, and endured poor parenting and neglect.”
Despite mitigating factors, the board said there remains no excuse for his mother’s murder, a crime the judge called “nothing short of horrific, callous and brutal.”
Since being granted day parole in 2020, Barnoski has shown positive behaviour and abided by all of his conditions. He has maintained employment and has continued work toward his welding ticket through a college apprenticeship program.
He secured his own apartment in May, where Barnoski will continue to live, according to his release plan.
Barnoski remains a moderate risk to re-offend and in summarizing his psychologist’s report to the board, the decision stated his ‘best chance to remain free of criminal activity was…to be closely monitored during conditional releases.’
All conditions will remain in place for the remainder of Barnoski’s life sentence unless removed or amended by the board.
Co-accused not eligible for parole until 2035
Marc Vickers remains in custody at Bath Institution in Kingston and is not eligible for parole until 2035.
He maintains he was an accessory after the fact of Barnoski’s murder but had nothing to do with the murder itself.
Speaking to News Talk 580 CFRA from prison, Vickers said he was reluctant to speak on the record about the case because he’s been told it would likely work against any case for parole in the future.
His mother, Katherine Rawlings, spoke to CFRA when Barnoski was granted day parole in 2020.
She, too, maintains her son did not kill Michelle Barnoski.
“I can’t believe he’s allowed to be out and free and Marc’s still in jail and innocent,” she said at the time.
“The justice system is broken.”
Barnoski has not responded to previous requests to discuss his parole status and the involvement of his co-accused.
The parole board’s decision specifically noted that Barnoski had shot his mother and beaten her after an argument. It made no mention of Vickers’s involvement in the actual act of murder.
A lawyer for Vickers said the only chance of a new trial would be for Barnsoki to declare he wasn’t involved, a scenario he called ‘highly unlikely.’
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.