Man convicted of killing N.B. cop transferred to U.S.: Canada Border Services

A man convicted of killing a New Brunswick police officer in 1987 has been turned over to the American authorities.

A man who was recently granted day parole nearly 40 years after killing a New Brunswick police officer has been turned over to the United States Customs and Border Protection.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed Anthony Philip Romeo was transferred to the United States on Monday, less than a month after he was granted day parole.

Romeo, 62, is an American citizen.

“The Canada Border Services Agency…is responsible for removing any foreign national who is in Canada illegally, as soon as possible,” the CBSA website reads.

Romeo was serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of Highway Patrol Const. Emmanuel Aucoin during a traffic stop near Fredericton in March 1987. Romeo, who was 24 at the time of the shooting, was wanted for another murder two years earlier in the state of New York.

During the 1988 trial, a psychiatrist testified that Romeo was convinced he was being followed by a monster at the time of the murder and he thought the constable was that monster.

Romeo was denied full parole in 2012 and 2022, but on Dec. 4 the Parole Board of Canada granted him day parole at a community-based residential facility for a six-month period.

“In making its decision, the Board has considered your comments at the hearing as well as your written representations on file,” the parole board noted in its written decision. “In the latter, you apologize for your action and share that you manage your anger more effectively, namely by applying the skills you have acquired and avoiding risky situations – including consuming intoxicants.

“You stress that you have been taking medication to address your mental health problems over many years, understanding how this is key to control your thoughts and behaviour.”

The board’s decision noted they have multiple victim impact statements from Aucoin’s family collected between 2012 and 2025.

“All of these statements speak of the lingering impact of the loss inflicted on their lives as well as the community as a result of your index offence,” the decision reads. “The passage of time has had no mitigating effect on the pain and grief they continue to endure to this day, as shared in a compelling account by a victim in the most recent written statement submitted for the Board’s consideration.

“The trauma lingers, bearing witness to years of sorrow and living with the shock of living without the loving presence of a man who has been taken from them prematurely through your criminal actions.”

The parole board said Romeo’s legal team and his doctor have provided a “comprehensive risk management plan” to ensure his safety as well as the public’s.

Now that he is in the United States, Romeo is outside Canadian jurisdiction. That means he will have limited restrictions inside his home country and would be not subject to any kind of supervision.

Const. Aucoin’s daughter, Valerie Aucoin, says it has been a lot to process.

“You’re trying to go about your day, and you’re doing whatever, and then it’s just constantly on your mind right now, because everything’s so fresh and but just being in the unknown is very draining,” she said.

“It’s a very strange existence at the moment, because it’s like you try to have a nice time and be amongst family and friends and not be like bringing this up all the time, or having to explain the story over and over and over again, because everyone wants to know as well. It is exhausting. It’s a lot.”

Aucoin says she is registered to receive any information that is pertinent to Romeo’s case.

“Now that his case is effectively closed within Canada, I’m not sure I would receive any further updates, which is frustrating,” she said.

Romeo is unable to return to Canada, which Aucoin says is “somewhat reassuring.”

“But that doesn’t mean he could not reoffend in the States, and I wouldn’t want that to happen to anybody or any family down in the States for any reason. So, it’s unfortunate,” she said.

“From what I understood during the hearing, his parole plan was very extensive, but there’s still no way for us to confirm any of that’s being done. It could all just be lip service and there was no indication that he would actually do anything to provide any giving back to society in any way.”

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Derek Haggett and Hafsa Arif.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.