39 convictions, mostly burglaries, and a phone behind bars: Virginia Beach man gets geriatric release

Gov. Abigail Spanberger's parole board has voted to release Michael McCoy Duncan, whose record includes dozens of burglary and larceny counts convictions in Virginia Beach, according to the board's own September 2026 decisions report.

The board's September report lists Duncan, 62, as granted geriatric conditional release, with a decision date of Sept. 11 and certification on Sept. 14. His record lists 39 offense entries, including 24 counts of burglary (entering a structure to commit larceny), eight grand larceny counts and two credit card theft counts, mostly in Virginia Beach Circuit Court in 1992 and 2001, plus burglary convictions in Newport News Circuit Court in 2001 and in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court in 2002. The report estimates he has served 34 years, 9 months and 5 days.

This newsroom could not locate contemporaneous news coverage of the burglaries, so the facts here are limited to the board record. The record shows no homicide, sexual or weapons convictions.

The rest of the record: Duncan's convictions span at least three periods: 1992 Virginia Beach burglaries and larcenies, including a third-or-subsequent petty larceny; a December 1992 statutory burglary; and a 2001-2002 series of burglaries in Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg-James City County, including a third-or-subsequent larceny. He was also convicted in Powhatan County Circuit Court in 2015 of possession of a cellular phone by a prisoner.

Why the board says he should go free: The board's listed reasons included strong work-assignment performance, correctional and vocational programs, no victim opposition, demonstrated rehabilitation, educational milestones, clear acceptance of responsibility, stable family relationships, long-term goal setting, a low risk-assessment score, insight into the factors behind the crime, consistently positive staff reports, vocational achievements, infraction-free conduct for at least 24 months, positive leadership roles, a stable release plan and completion of treatment with demonstrated skills.

The Sept. 10 minutes record a 4-0 vote. The Victim Services Team said "the victim does not recall the incident." Board Member Valerie Boykin said she concluded he had served enough time, and Vice Chair Kecia Brothers Hayes cited significant community support and educational advancement.

To be fair to the board, every reason quoted above comes from its own record, and the four members present explained their votes on the record at the Sept. 10 meeting. The question for voters is whether those reasons outweigh what the court ordered, what the record shows about his past, and what victims told the board.

What the numbers say about Virginia Beach: Violent crime in Virginia Beach has improved over the past decade, according to the state's own figures. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, using Virginia State Police data, reported 98.5 violent index crimes per 100,000 residents in Virginia Beach in 2025, against 155.9 in 2016, down 37%. Property crime stood at 1,480.2 per 100,000 in 2025, down 32% from 2,186.5. Nearby, Newport News recorded 801.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, up 70% from 472.7 in 2016, and 2,331.6 property crimes per 100,000, down 24% from 3,065.1. For comparison, the statewide violent crime rate was 210.5 per 100,000 in 2025, and the median Virginia locality came in at 172.9, according to the August 2026 DCJS report. DCJS cautions that the figures are subject to revision.

This is what Democratic control of the parole board looks like. Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, appointed every one of the five members of the board, replacing the board she inherited, and the Democratic-led General Assembly confirmed them in Senate Joint Resolution 209 in March. Her chair, Shannon Dion, was previously named director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. Board member Tyrone Nelson has run for the Henrico Board of Supervisors as a Democrat. The four members who voted on Sept. 10 were Dion, Vice Chair Kecia Brothers Hayes, Nelson and Valerie Boykin; Bishop Kevin White was absent, according to the minutes. None of that means the governor personally ordered any individual release; the board votes, and the record shows how each member voted. But the governor picks the board, and by law its members serve at the governor's pleasure. Statewide, a Washington Examiner analysis found Spanberger's board had a 13.89% release rate in 2026, more than 10 times the 1.23% rate under Youngkin's board in 2025, and WJLA 7News counted 48 grants in 205 discretionary and geriatric cases since May, about 23%; in September alone, the board granted 7 of 85 cases, about 8.2%.

Parole is not the end of a sentence. The board can revoke it, and in September it revoked parole in two cases. The board's report does not say when Duncan will walk out or where he will live, questions Virginia Beach residents are entitled to ask.

Email the Virginia Beach Board/Council:
Robert Dyer, mayorsoffice@vbgov.com,
Michael Berlucchi, mberlucc@vbgov.com,
Stacy Cummings, stcummings@vbgov.com,
Barbara Henley, bhenley@vbgov.com,
David Hutcheson, dhutcheson@vbgov.com,
Cal Jackson-Green, cjacksongreen@vbgov.com,
Robert Remick, wremick@vbgov.com,
Amelia Ross-Hammond, arosshammond@vbgov.com,
Jennifer Rouse, jvrouse@vbgov.com,
Joashua Schulman, jschulman@vbgov.com,
Rosemary Wilson, rcwilson@vbgov.com,

Virginia Beach is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Newport News is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Email the Newport News Board/Council:
Phillip Jones, mayorsoffice@nnva.gov,
Curtis Bethany III, council@nnva.gov,
Robert Coleman, council@nnva.gov,
John Eley III, council@nnva.gov,
Marcellus Harris III, council@nnva.gov,
Cleon Long, council@nnva.gov,
Tina Vick, council@nnva.gov,