B.C. inmate who died after 35 years in prison was dangerous offender with ‘grandiose delusions’: parole board

The Pacific Institution federal penitentiary in Abbotsford, B.C., is seen on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

William Jacques Louis McNichol, the 75-year-old inmate who died at B.C.’s Pacific Institution earlier this month, was a dangerous offender who had “a paranoid perception of the world” and experienced “grandiose delusions,” according to the most recent Parole Board of Canada decision regarding his case.

The document, which the board shared with CTV News upon request, is dated June 27, 2024, and denies McNichol both day parole and full parole.

The inmate died “of apparent natural causes” at the Pacific Institution’s Regional Treatment Centre in Abbotsford on Jan. 4, the Correctional Service of Canada announced in a statement last week.

McNichol had been serving an “indeterminate” sentence, which began on Nov. 30, 1990.

The parole board decision indicates McNichol received this sentence after assaulting his wife, stepson and brother-in-law during a domestic dispute in June 1989.

The document does not specify where the offence occurred.

“You choked your wife, struck and threw your stepson, and threatened your brother-in-law with an axe,” the decision reads, addressing the offender directly.

“When police arrived, you made threatening remarks towards them, armed yourself with a firearm, and barricaded yourself inside with your brother for approximately 36 hours.”

‘A history of violence’

By the time the offence occurred, McNichol already had a long criminal history. Beginning in 1979, his record included convictions for “dangerous driving, assault, breach of trust, and weapons related offences,” according to the document.

“You have also incurred additional charges related to property, obstruction, breach of trust, forcible confinement, extortion, assault, and uttering threats that did not result in convictions,” the decision continues.

“You have a history of violence towards intimate partners—in the 1980s, you threatened your first wife with a knife and engaged in a 22-hour standoff with police while you refused to let her or your children leave.”

These prior incidents, as well as poor behaviour while under supervision in the community after previous convictions, led to McNichol’s dangerous offender designation and indeterminate sentence, according to the parole board.

The document also indicates McNichol had “a history of poor institutional behaviour,” which included “numerous physical and verbal altercations with other offenders.”

At the time of the decision, McNichol had not been involved in any violent incidents since 2010, but he “instigated a physical altercation” in 2016 and was charged for “refusing to stop feeding raccoons” in 2020, the document notes.

‘Paranoid perception of the world’

The parole board decision notes that McNichol did not attend its hearing on his potential release and refused to interact with his case management team.

He refused to participate in psychological assessments for the last two decades of his life, leading assessors to conclude that the last one he participated in, in 2002, remained valid.

“You are described as having a paranoid perception of the world and a tendency towards impulsive and violent behaviour that is worsened when you consume alcohol,” the decision reads.

“You have demonstrated a willingness to use instrumental violence to achieve your goals. Previous psychiatric reports have described you as having ‘persecuting and grandiose delusions,’ anti-authoritarian attitudes, arrogance, and an inability to control your anger.”

McNichol suffered from “a number of health issues,” and was “confined to a wheelchair” and experiencing hearing loss at the time of the parole board’s hearing.

Despite these health factors, the offender’s case management team recommended against both day parole and full parole, arguing that McNichol would be an “undue risk” to society if released.

The board agreed and declined to grant either type of parole. McNichol died less than two years later.

The CSC said in its statement that the inmate’s next of kin have been notified, along with police and the B.C. Coroners Service, in accordance with CSC policy.

The correctional service will review the circumstances of McNichol’s death, as it does with all in-custody deaths.