A Colorado convict accused of murdering a 21-year-old woman last Saturday in Denver had been released from prison early due to the coronavirus, according to local media.
Cornelius Haney, 40, was nabbed over the weekend for the fatal shooting of Heather Perry in an alleyway, NBC’s 9News-Denver reported. A motive for the slaying wasn’t disclosed by police.
The Colorado Department of Corrections sprung Haney from prison April 15 — four months before his scheduled release — due to the pandemic, a spokesman told the TV station.
The felon, whose criminal history stretches back more than a decade, was serving a seven-year sentence for robbery when he was freed in accordance with a state executive order designed to reduce the prison population during the public health crisis.
The order allowed some inmates to leave prison and enter what it called “special needs parole,” according to 9News-Denver.
“When looking at special needs parole criteria, the Department of Corrections’ medical staff reviews offenders for risk factors related to COVID as documented by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” the spokesman told the station.
“The clinical team reviews the inmate’s medical records to individually confirm the existence of conditions and their severity. The Department also reviews information related to their crime of incarceration and behavior inside the facility. Once the medical and parole team has made a recommendation, the packet is forwarded to the Parole Board for review.”
States across the country — including New York — have issued similar orders to thin prison populations, which are especially vulnerable to coronavirus outbreaks.
