An infamous bank robber who tried to kill four people decades ago and is a person of interest in two Kingston murders had his day leave privileges extended and will soon be up for full parole.
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Micky McArthur, who has changed his name to Michiel Hollinger, recently had his day parole privileges expanded, allowing him to reside “in (his) own home five days per week” and at a community-based residential facility the other two days.
In making its decision in December, the Parole Board of Canada extended McArthur’s day parole for a period of three months, and ordered a hearing to discuss his request for full parole.
“It is the board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society if released on day parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,” the board wrote.
The Correctional Service of Canada had recommended McArthur receive full parole. The board said while it was satisfied his risk could be managed on the current schedule of five days at home and two supervised, it had “a number of questions it would like to discuss with (him) before approving a full parole, given that is the broadest form of release available.”
Full parole allows an offender to serve part of their sentence under supervision in the community under specific conditions, according to the federal government. It normally follows the successful completion of day parole.
McArthur, now 72, is serving a life sentence, and has been in and out of prison since 1973.
His current sentence came after being convicted of four counts of attempted murder and a slew of other violent crimes, including robbery, aggravated assault and use of a firearm to commit an offence. This was in relation to the 1994 robbery of a Bank of Montreal in Port Perry that he committed while on parole.
During the robbery, he entered a bank with an assault rifle, intentionally shot the bank’s manager in the leg and shot two responding police officers and a woman nearby during an exchange in gunfire, the parole board said in its latest report.
McArthur was arrested the next day and found guilty of all 17 charges against him. His brother, Angus McArthur, was also charged in connection with the robbery but was acquitted.
His actions were described by the judge at the time as “cold and calculated,” and that he “created fear of death and terror in the victims.”
“It was noted you had seriously injured and negatively impacted the lives of many innocent people,” the parole report says.
Prior to that, he had been serving a lengthy sentence for a variety of criminal offences. His criminal history, the parole board wrote, dates back to the 1970s and includes escaping custody, assaulting a peace officer, robbery with violence, assault causing bodily harm, possession of a restricted weapon, armed robbery, use of a firearm during the commission of an offence and prison breach.
“While you have not been charged with any additional offences in many years, the board notes that you have a very lengthy and violent criminal history that includes having inflicted serious harm on a number of victims,” the board wrote.
“You also continue to be a person of interest with respect to two missing persons/homicide cold case files from 1982 and 1983.”
McArthur is a “person of interest” in the disappearances and murders of 37-year-old Millhaven Institution correctional service officer David Hannah in 1983 and 24-year-old Kingston drywaller Tom Gencarelli in 1982.
The board says police have, in the past, met and spoken with McArthur about these files, but no charges have been laid.
“Most recently during this term of day parole the police attempted to speak with you at the parole office; however, you refused to participate in the interview,” the report says.
McArthur denies any knowledge of the murder.
The Kingston Police have said in the past McArthur is their only suspect in the Gencarelli case. McArthur was about to go to trial for the murder, but the Crown’s key witness died before they could proceed.
Parole history
This latest parole update comes after McArthur was first granted day leave in 2019. Over the last four years, the board noted, his parole history has “had its difficulties” and has since included expanded leave privileges, one suspension, loss of leave privileges and subsequent reinstatement of expanded leave.
In December 2020, his leave privileges were expanded, allowing him to be away from the halfway house five nights per week.
His day parole was suspended once in March 2023 when there were concerns he had not followed his parole supervisor’s directions.
His release was then maintained by the Correctional Service of Canada after he agreed to relocate to another community and live in a community-based residential facility.
In a June 2023 decision, the board restricted his overnight leave privileges, and he was ordered to return to the residential facility nightly.
In December 2023, the board continued his day parole for an additional six-month period, allowing him expanded leave privileges to be absent from the facility five days per week and residing there on the other two nights.
In the summer of 2024, he relocated to Alberta to a home he purchased in a small rural community.
He has continued living in that home and returns to the residential facility for two nights per week.
There, he remains on a “five and two” day parole release – spending five nights per week at his home and the other two nights at a residential facility in a nearby urban centre.
“There have been no concerns with your release to date and you ensure that your whereabouts are known to both your parole supervisor and the halfway house during your passes,” the board wrote.
While out on parole this time, he must have no contact with any of his victims or their families, refrain from going to Vancouver Island, and avoid anyone he knows to be involved in criminal activity.
The parole board did not specify a hearing date to discuss the possibility of full parole.