A year before he was gunned down in Langley last month, Edmonton gangster Johnathan Hebrada-Walters was sent back to prison for violating the conditions of his statutory release.
Parole board decisions obtained by Postmedia show that Hebrada-Walters was hanging out with a gangster despite a condition that he was “not to associate with negative individuals.”
The parole board documents state that Hebrada-Walters was an “active member” of a “security threat group” — a term the Correctional Service Canada uses to describe gang members.
“Your release was suspended … when information became known that you were implicated in organized criminal activities,” said the ruling, signed by board member Laura Pun-Cook.
Hebrada-Walters, 38, was shot to death Sept. 21 on 83rd Avenue near 196th Street in Langley after an exchange of gunfire that left Brothers Keepers gangster Barinder (Shrek) Dhaliwal injured. He is expected to recover.
No one has been charged and police have not said whether they believe there were other suspects at the crime scene.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said the shooting was linked to the B.C.-wide gang conflict. The conflict has sometimes seen hired hitmen from other provinces travel to B.C. to shoot their targets.
Last week, Mission RCMP confirmed Hebrada-Walters was also a suspect in a savage unprovoked baseball bat attack on a young couple. His companion at the time, Amber Jenelle Toews, 35, is now wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.
Hebrada-Walters was sentenced to six years in jail in April 2018 after several firearms convictions that stemmed from a vehicle stop in Winnipeg four years earlier. He had a Glock handgun with a filed-off serial number. His associate also had a gun that had been reported stolen.
The 2023 parole board decision said Hebrada-Walters was later convicted for his role in an “organized assault” on another inmate in May 2020. He was captured on CCTV “attacking the victim by tripping his legs and then kicking the victim once he was on the ground,” the decision said.
Offenders in Canada are entitled to statutory release after serving two-thirds of their sentence unless there is a concern they would “pose an undue risk to society.”
Three parole rulings released to Postmedia show that Hebrada-Walters received statutory release in May 2022, but with special conditions including staying away from “negative peers.” He was sent back to jail 13 months later, with his statutory release getting revoked in September 2023.
His full sentence was completed on July 7, 2024.
Hebrada-Walters’ criminal history began in 2005 with “drug offences,” Pun-Cook stated.
In 2009, he attacked an ex-girlfriend by slamming her wrist on a door, then kicking and punching her.
“When she fell to the floor, you continued to kick her causing her injuries,” the board said. “Clearly, you have issues with females as well as males and show a willingness to injure them, causing serious harm when you feel you need to.”
In 2010, he was convicted for attempting to obstruct justice. He was also convicted in Saskatchewan in 2012 of possession of cocaine.
“The board does not see any significant gaps in your offending from when they began, which indicates a criminally entrenched attitude and lifestyle,” Pun-Cook wrote.
The latest ruling also said that Hebrada-Walters was arrested on June 13, 2023 after his parole officer “was informed by police that you were heavily involved in gang and criminal activity.”
“File information noted that one of these negative associates was involved in assaults, firearms and drug related offences and was recently arrested, and that you were trying to take over his property rental lease. Police noted you were frequently associated with this individual and that you had served your federal sentence together,” Pun-Cook said.
“It also revealed you were communicating with him via phone and had moved some of his belongings to your house. A case conference was held the same day, and a decision was made to suspend your release as your risk was deemed no longer manageable in the community.”
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