Posted on May 16, 2020

Parolee Released Early Due to Coronavirus Accused of Murdering Woman in Denver

Dillon Thomas, CBS Denver, May 15, 2020

A parolee who was recently released from prison due to coronavirus concerns is now accused of murdering a 21-year-old woman in Denver. Cornelius Haney is accused of murdering Heather Perry less than a month after his release.

Cornelius Haney

Perry’s body was discovered in an alleyway in east Denver on May 9. Police used surveillance video to track Haney back to the crime scene.

Heather Perry

Haney was released early from his seven year sentence after pleading guilty to armed robbery in Arapahoe County in June of 2016. Though qualified for parole, Haney’s mandatory release date wasn’t scheduled until August of 2020.

In a statement issued to CBS4’s Dillon Thomas, the Department of Corrections said:

“Mr. Haney has been eligible for parole since 2017. His case was reviewed by the Parole Board, and he was approved for release. He was released on 4-15-2020. Mr. Haney had a mandatory release date of 8-22-2020 and would have been required to be released at that time regardless of the Parole Board decision.

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Gov. Jared Polis acknowledged Friday that Haney was released under an executive order he issued, but said the parole board could not have held Haney much longer.

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