North

Roger Warren, Giant Mine bomber who killed 9, granted full parole

After three years on day parole, the man convicted of killing nine workers in an underground blast near Yellowknife 25 years ago was granted full parole in December.

25 years later, Warren deemed ‘a manageable risk’ by Parole Board of Canada

Roger Warren is escorted from an RCMP van to the courthouse in Yellowknife in this Oct. 24, 1994 file photo. Warren was convicted of nine counts of second degree murder for setting an underground blast that killed nine workers at Giant Mine in 1992. (Dave Buston/Canadian Press)

Roger Warren is as free a man as he will likely ever be.

Warren was convicted of nine counts of second-degree murder for setting the underground blast that killed nine workers in 1992 during a bitter strike at Giant Mine near Yellowknife.

Warren has been on day parole for the last three years.

He applied for, and was granted, full parole in December. Warren is 72 years old.

The full parole came with two special conditions. Warren is not to possess or drink alcohol and is not to have any contact with the families of his victims without the consent of his parole supervisor.

Though he is no longer under a curfew, Warren must report regularly to his parole supervisor, notify the supervisor of any change of address and stay out of trouble with the law.

In documents about the decision, the Parole Board of Canada noted Warren has stayed out of trouble while on day parole. In 2015, he was allowed to move from a halfway house to a private home, where he obeyed the rules and never missed his curfew.

The board noted Warren attends church weekly. It says he spends much of his time at home and works on vehicles despite health difficulties that have landed him in hospital emergency rooms numerous times.

Roger Warren's confession

10 years ago
Duration 1:21
In October 1993, RCMP officers took Roger Warren into the mine where he recounted how he set up the explosion that killed 9 men.