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A convicted murderer who has stirred controversy while attending law courses at McGill University is back in custody while authorities look more closely at his case.
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) confirmed to CBC News on Saturday that a suspension warrant for Jeffrey George Ewert was issued.
“The offender has returned to custody while a more thorough assessment of the situation is being conducted,” the statement said. Two sources had confirmed to CBC that Ewert had been picked up on Friday.
Ewert was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder for attacks against two women in B.C. in 1984 and is serving a life sentence.
He sexually assaulted and killed one woman and, less than six weeks later, beat and choked a 15-year-old so severely that she was paralyzed and disabled for life, according to a summary of his case in his parole board file.
He was granted day parole in 2025 and began taking law classes and going to faculty events at the Montreal institution in August. He had not been on campus since early October, according to a statement from McGill’s provost.
His parole was extended for another six months in June 2026. While various clinical assessments ranked Ewert’s risk of reoffending as moderate to high, official parole documents say with close supervision at a halfway house and clinical follow-up, that risk “seems to fall more into the moderate risk category.”
The parole board did express concern about his interactions with and attitudes toward women.
In a statement Saturday, the federal agency that oversees adult offenders said a conditional release can be suspended in situations where there are “reasonable grounds to believe that the offender has breached a condition of release or that the risk they present can no longer be safely managed in the community.”
The case will be reviewed with the established post-release decision-making process, the agency said. That could include further consideration by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC).
The CSC says given it is an active case, it can’t comment further or provide further information about what led to the suspension as per the Privacy Act.
Presence stirs debate at McGill
But his attending McGill has created a deep divide over the presence of a convicted killer in the classroom.
One petition has circulated outlining why students feel unsafe and don’t want to be in Ewert’s presence. The petition expressed concern over his alleged behaviour while attending McGill.
However, another petition argued that excluding Ewert from campus undermines his access to education and rehabilitation as an Indigenous man and a survivor of the Sixties Scoop.
The CSC says information about an offender’s time in the community is continually gathered.
“When concerns arise regarding an offender’s behaviour, compliance with release conditions, or ability to be safely managed in the community, CSC takes appropriate action,” the CSC said.
“If the risk can no longer be safely managed in the community, CSC may suspend the offender’s release and return them to custody. CSC works closely with its partners to respond quickly when circumstances require intervention.”
In a statement to CBC on Friday, a spokesperson for McGill said the “safety and security of our students is paramount.”
The university also promised to “actively review its admissions processes to ensure a similar situation never happens again.”
A convicted murderer’s presence at McGill University’s law school while on day parole has sparked debate over public safety and rehabilitation. Several students say they feel vulnerable and frustrated by a lack of transparency regarding Jeffrey George Ewert’s violent past against women, while his lawyer and student supporters argue he deserves a second chance.
