A man convicted for his role in the brutal murder of a St. Albert man in 2004 was released on parole last month.
Mark James Horning was granted day parole earlier this year, which was extended once before the parole board granted him full parole on Oct. 15.
Horning pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2008 for his role in the death of Timothy Salsman and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He received two-for-one credit for the three-and-a-half years spent in pre-trial custody. That left him with four years to serve.
Another man, William Edgar Taylor was convicted of second-degree murder following a trial in 2007 and received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 18 years.
The three men were all living together in Hayter, just outside Provost and were involved in the drug trade. Salsman grew up in St. Albert and moved out to live with the two men a few months before his death.
On the evening of Aug. 2, 2004 the three men drove from Horning's residence in Hayter to a bar in Provost.
Salsman had been using some of the drugs he had been given to sell and had a $1,500 outstanding drug debt.
Horning and Taylor attacked Salsman outside the bar, beating him into a stupor before taking him back to the home and continuing the assault in the basement.
When entering his guilty plea Horning told the court he had participated in the beating, but left the basement with Salsman still alive.
He said Taylor continued the beating after he walked away, but conceded he had made it possible for Taylor to kill the man.
A witness in Taylor's trial indicated Taylor attacked the badly beaten man with a skill saw after Horning walked away.
Parole granted
The parole board found that his time in prison had helped to turn Horning around and noted he had done extremely well since moving into a halfway house.
They noted especially that he had maintained a job and even branched into his own company.
"You have maintained employment since your release and formed a company which receives contracts from other construction companies."
The board noted before sentencing, Horning remained on a criminal path and it was only after he left the Edmonton Remand Centre for a federal prison that he changed.
"It was not until after you were incarcerated that you spent significant time reflecting on your past and realizing it was not the path you wanted to continue."
The board also noted Horning had taken complete responsibility for Salsman's death.
"You acknowledge that you were the leader of the group and directed others to get rid of the victim."
That acknowledgement goes beyond what Horning indicated at his guilty plea and sentencing hearing.
The board said despite the graphic nature of the crime, Horning had moved on from where he was and was improving his life for the better.
"Your actions show that you were willing to engage in criminal activity including the use of violence in order to achieve your goals," reads the report. "However, it is evident that you have since made a significant change in your thoughts, behaviour and plans."
The parole board put conditions on Horning's release that are designed to keep him on his current path.
He will be forbidden from consuming alcohol or any non-prescribed drugs and will also have to take any directed psychological counselling.
The board also put a condition in place specifically preventing him from interacting with people currently involved in criminal activities or organized crime.
