Mailloux, 67 today, shot and killed 16-year-old Laura Davis while working at her family’s grocery store on St. George. He was first granted day parole in 2016, which was most recently renewed in April 2022, according to a decision by the Parole Board of Canada. The ruling says he must return to the halfway house in Quebec where he lives two days a week. Brenda Davis, Laura’s sister, said she had been worried and scared since she got the call that Mailou could not be located. “I was mad, I was sad, at the same time I was thankful that my father was not alive because it would have killed him,” she said in an interview on Tuesday. “I’m afraid. I’m afraid he might be out there. I’m afraid for us. I’m afraid for anyone who might cross his path.”
The victim’s family watched
Davis has attended all but one hearing since Mailloux was sentenced, including those held every six months to renew his day parole. “I’m going to be a voice for my sister and everyone else who’s ever lost someone to murder to keep people behind bars,” she said. Esme Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Correctional Service of Canada, said the department cannot “disclose details of an offender’s case,” but confirmed that Mailloux has been illegally released. He said in general, a person’s parole is suspended for the following reasons: he violates the conditions of his release, to prevent a violation of the condition or for “public safety.” Once parole is suspended, the department will issue a warrant for the offender’s arrest and until they are arrested, they are considered unlawfully free. “We are working closely with the police to ensure they have all the information available to execute a warrant and return an offender to CSC custody,” he wrote in an emailed statement. Mailloux’s release day conditions prohibit him from consuming alcohol or drugs, gambling, contacting certain people, including the victim’s family, and entering the province of New Brunswick.
He attempted a prison break in 1993
It is not the first time that Mailloux has been illegally released from prison. The parole board’s most recent decision to renew his day parole includes a summary of his criminal history. He was first sentenced to four years and 10 months in 1978 for theft and assault. In 1987, he shot and killed Laura Davis while “heavily intoxicated on alcohol, drugs and medication” and trying to rob the store. In 1993, he attempted to escape from prison with two fellow inmates. He restrained a member of staff while an accomplice put a knife to their throats and injured them, the parole order states. Mailloux was convicted of forcible restraint, assault with a weapon and attempted prison break. The parole board said that over the next 20 years or so, Mailloux showed “remorse” and “empathy for the victims”. His officers told the parole board that he “never stopped trying to make progress” and achieve his goals. “After experiencing ups and downs during your many years in prison, you are now making positive progress in the community,” the board wrote. The board also concluded that Mailloux was at “low risk of short-term violent re-offending”. Laura was 3 ½ years older than her sister Brenda, who says they were friends and siblings. She remembers her sister often, she said. “As much as I was her annoying little sister who wanted to be with her everywhere, she let me do a lot of things with her.” He said he is now waiting for answers about why Mailloux was able to leave custody and why he has not been found.
