N.S. man who murdered both his parents granted full parole: ‘You have matured’

The Nova Scotia man who murdered both his parents 25 years ago has been granted full parole.

Paul Mathew Edward Thornton, in his mid 40s, is serving a life sentence for killing his parents, Phillip and Ann, in their Blandford home in 1998.

He first got day parole three years ago.

“As difficult as it is for victims to accept, you have reached a point in the case planning stage to have more liberal community access. You have served a very long sentence and met all benchmarks. Repeated day paroles over the past few years have been successful. The maturity exhibited, decisions made, and pro-social behaviours demonstrated negate the need for the structure and support inherent to a residential facility. That said, you need to accept that supervision will be a feature of your entire life,” said his most recent parole decision, released Thursday.

“With full consideration of your file, it is the board’s opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on full parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen. Therefore, full parole is granted effective upon reaching your eligibility date.”

That date wasn’t in the decision and the parole board did not respond to requests asking for it.

‘Shot at close range’

The judge who sentenced Thornton to life in prison on two counts of first-degree murder in the fall of 1999 set his parole eligibility at 25 years.

“The victims, close family members, were shot at close range in the home. You claim to have been provoked during an argument and had resented their parenting style for an extended period of time, which somehow translated into the extreme act of murder,” said the parole board.

“Police would refer to the offences as involving considerable planning, preceded by homicidal ideation and absence of true remorse. You declared your crimes to your intimate partner and, somewhat chillingly, told a friend that you had the best sleep in a while the night of the murders.”

‘Psychological venting’

To come to the decision, the parole board said it delved into Thornton’s motivation for the murders, as well as his personality and social history.

“Striking is the absence of any early indications that you were capable of such extreme violence. With no criminal history, apparent character disturbances, addictions and or known childhood misbehaviour, the psychiatric assessments on file have attributed the offences to the ‘context of several psychological stressors, in the context of a very specific developmental issue.’”

A surviving family member took issue with Thornton’s negative characterization of his parents, said the parole board.

“You have stated you were passive in this relationship, and entertained feelings of resentment, bitterness, and anger, while a longtime friend tended to agree. Unable to adequately express your feelings, this anger built up with tragic consequences. You report that there had been ongoing friction in the relationship with your victims leading up to your offences. The homicidal ideation referenced by police was explained as a form of psychological venting. You have no contact with any members of your family as a result of your offences.”

Change was ‘slow in coming’ 

Thornton’s most recent psychological risk assessment, from July 2020, pegged him as a low risk to reoffend.

“Your ability to discuss your offences and identify a point in your life where you would be ready to make changes was slow in coming,” said the parole board.

“Involvement with psychological counselling was initially resisted but you were eventually able to develop rapport with a counsellor and made progress accordingly. Resigned to 25 years imprisonment was part of the struggle.”

Thornton’s “most recent psychological assessment tracked that progress,” said the parole board.

“Having grown up in prison, you have, nevertheless, demonstrated a stable attitude and behaviours throughout the latter parts of this sentence. Those behaviours have been exhibited in numerous work and interpersonal situations. You have achieved vocational licensing as an electrician and continue to set and achieve realistic short-term goals.”

‘Psychological maturity’

All of Thornton’s involvement with people outside the prison systems “have been very positive,” said the parole board.

“Consistent with a 2014 assessment, there are no signs of psychiatric disturbances or anti-social traits, beliefs, or attitudes. Your personality is marked by personal and psychological maturity despite having been imprisoned many years, the last six in a minimum security environment. There have been no institutional charges for quite some time.”

Thornton had lots of chances to participate in community activities in the latter stages of his sentence, said the parole board. “All have passed without incident.”

Thornton got his electrician’s papers and continues “to set and achieve realistic short-term goals. All reports of involvement with outside persons and groups were very positive.”

Thornton completed all the steps his jailers laid out in his correctional plan, according to the parole board.

‘Trustworthiness in the community’ 

“Successful completion of all correctional plan requirements demonstrated institutional stability and trustworthiness in the community and contributed to day parole being granted in September 2020. Leave privileges were authorized, and special conditions were imposed to abstain from alcohol and drugs, to report relationships and to follow a treatment plan. Your day parole has since been continued for a period of six months on five occasions.”

Thornton has been working full time as an electrician, but he no longer has a girlfriend.

“Your intimate relationship has now ended; however, you remain friendly and speak to each other frequently. You continue to take her dog on walks and other activities.”

Correctional Service Canada “monitored the demise of your relationship and found that you managed it well. She remains a good support,” said the parole board.

Thornton has his own place — not in Nova Scotia — and has been getting weekend passes to stay there “with no issues noted,” said the parole board.

“Additionally, you have purchased a vehicle. On full parole, your plan is to reside at your apartment and continue working full time as an electrician. Your levels of accountability, motivation and reintegration potential are rated as high.”

Release conditions

Thorton will be expected to stay away from booze and drugs, the family of his victims (he has a sister who moved to England), continue to meet regularly with his case management team “and to be transparent,” said the parole board, noting that he must also report any new intimate relationships to his parole officer.

“The board believes that your parole supervisor must be aware of all intimate, sexual, and non-sexual relationships which you are involved in, with either females or males, so that steps can be taken to intervene if there are any concerns regarding the relationship dynamic.”

When he killed his parents, Thornton was “using alcohol and drugs as a means of coping with negative emotions,” said the parole board.

“This continued early on in your sentence. Although it has been many years since you have used substances, the board is mindful of the challenges and stressors you are likely to face while reintegrating to the community after such a long period of incarceration and believes that any use of intoxicants could impair your judgment and elevate your risk.”

‘Difficult to fathom’

In its “final analysis, the board cannot lose sight of the senseless murder of two people. No matter what your explanation, it is difficult to fathom such a reaction, particularly from someone with no prior involvement with the criminal justice system.”

Thornton had “some early experiences with drugs but not to an extent that the risk for violence was elevated,” said the parole board.

“The result of your crimes resulted in a huge loss for others. A relatively recent victim statement reflects that loss.”

Thornton has “been productive” and prepared himself for his eventual return to life in the community, said the parole board.

“The challenge after many years in prison, an all-male environment aside from staff, is to acquire and demonstrate appropriate interpersonal behaviours. Through countless opportunities accessing the community, you have matured.”

Thornton works in a good trade and has no financial challenges, said the parole board.

“Through required parole officer contact and transparency on your part, (Correctional Service Canada) has not hesitated to recommend a more liberal release. You have gained credibility through your behaviours. Counselling is no longer required, but it has been stated that you engage in long discussions with your (case management team) about almost anything. Financial decisions have been part of those discussions. It will remain important that you stay engaged, grow a positive social circle, and embrace healthy habits and routines.”