No early release for Tyrell Peter Dechamp, person of interest in 2 Halifax shootings

A man who is a person of interest in the 2016 killings of Tyler Richards and Naricho Claytonin Halifax will need to serve out the remainder of his sentence for two previous crimes.

Tyrell Peter Dechamp is in the midst of serving a 64-monthsentence for second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

In its decision to deny Dechampan earlierrelease, the Parole Board of Canada mentioned he was "a person of interest in two shootings that occurred on April17 and April19."

Those two dates coincide with the dates Richards and Clayton were respectively killed, but Dechamp has not been charged in either of those homicides.

If released before the end of his sentence, the board noted there are reasonable grounds to believe Dechamp is "likely to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person."

In February 2016, Dechamp was released from prison on statutory release after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Police issued aCanada-widewarrant forDechampon April 20 after he failed to return to his Halifax halfway house the night before.

The board wrote in its decision thatDechamphad been unlawfully at large and was knowlingly outside his release area.

Dechampwas arrested April 28 in Ottawa.

The parole board revoked the statutory release in August.

Dechamp's criminal history

Dechamp was convicted of murderin 2009 for the Oct. 15, 2007, stabbing death of Matthew James Ayre on Gottingen Street in Halifax.

He was sentenced under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Due to his age, his identity was protected at the time.

However,his identity became publicin2012 for an aggravated assault he committed as an adult.

In October 2011, Dechamp sucker-punched a woman who intervened in an argument at a downtown nightclub. The woman fell to the floor, hit her head and was knocked unconscious. She was hospitalized for two weeks for serious head and brain injuries.