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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.