Parole violators, prison convictions and 39-count records: September's grants had repeat offenders

The Virginia Parole Board under Gov. Abigail Spanberger says its decisions reward rehabilitation. Its own records for September show that most of the people it released had already been given second chances, or broken rules behind bars.

Of the seven people granted parole on Sept. 10, three had parole violations on their records, one had a conviction for a crime committed in prison, one had 2023 convictions after a life sentence for murder, and one had 39 offense entries, according to the board's September report.

The jump is stark. A Washington Examiner analysis published Oct. 7 found that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's parole board approved 1.23% of parole requests in all of 2025, granting 32, while Spanberger's board, installed in mid-March, posted a 13.89% release rate in roughly half of 2026, with 38 grants, which the Examiner described as more than 10 times Youngkin's rate. A separate WJLA 7News analysis of every decision since Spanberger's board first met in May counted 48 grants in 205 discretionary and geriatric parole cases, about 23.4%, or "almost one in four," compared with fewer than two in 100 under Youngkin's board. Bolts magazine, analyzing monthly decisions, put Youngkin's board at about 2% from January 2022 through September 2023 and 1.6% for 2023. The analyses cover different periods and case counts, which is why the 2026 figures differ. The board's own reports show 14 grants in 44 parole decisions in August, about 32%, and 7 grants in 85 decisions in September, about 8.2%.

Clarence Eugene Billups, Norfolk: two 1992 rape convictions, a 2023 parole violation and a 2023 conviction for rape of a child under 13. The Washington Examiner reported he committed the child rape while on parole.

Waverly Otis Robinson, Hopewell: four 1993 forcible sodomy convictions, a 1992 Petersburg burglary and a 2018 parole violation. John Michael Moran Jr., Staunton: 1990 rape and robbery, Augusta County larceny, breaking and entering and assault convictions, and a 2021 parole violation.

David Syrus Butchee, Southampton County: a 30-year sentence for robbing a Franklin post office at gunpoint, burglary and larceny convictions in Virginia Beach, a felon-in-possession conviction in Stafford County, and a 2000 conviction for possessing drugs as a prisoner. Youngkin's board denied him in January 2023, citing "conviction of a new crime while incarcerated."

Calvin Darnell Johnson, Richmond: a life sentence for 1989 first-degree murder, plus 2023 convictions for drug possession in Henrico County and false pretenses in Richmond. The board's report nonetheless lists "infraction free since incarceration" among its reasons.

Michael McCoy Duncan, Virginia Beach: 39 offense entries, including 24 burglary counts and eight grand larceny counts across Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg-James City County, plus a 2015 conviction for possessing a cellphone in prison.

To be fair, the board cited infraction-free records in recent years for each of them, low risk scores and completed programs. But the board's own forms include a denial reason for exactly this pattern: "prior failure(s) and/or convictions while under community supervision." Youngkin's board used it for Billups in 2023. Spanberger's board did not.

Every member who voted on Sept. 10 was appointed by Spanberger, a Democrat, and serves at her pleasure.

Why the board matters: Virginia abolished parole for most crimes in 1995, under a truth-in-sentencing law pushed by Republican Gov. George Allen's administration, according to Bolts. The people still eligible are mostly those convicted of serious crimes before then, older prisoners seeking geriatric release, and people covered by 2020 expansions for juvenile offenders and some 1995-2000 jury cases, which Democrats passed after taking full control of state government in 2019, Bolts reported. That leaves the decision in the hands of five people the governor appoints. Statewide, violent crime fell to 210.5 per 100,000 residents in 2025, down 7% from 2024, according to the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Richmond is an independent city in the Richmond region.

Henrico County is a county in the Richmond region. Its county seat is Laurel.

Virginia Beach is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley. Its county seat is Staunton, an independent city.

James City County is a county in Hampton Roads. Its county seat is Williamsburg, an independent city.

Southampton County is a county in Southside Virginia. Its county seat is Courtland.

Stafford County is a county in the Fredericksburg area. Its county seat is Stafford.

Franklin is an independent city in Southside Virginia.

Hopewell is an independent city in the Richmond region.

Newport News is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Norfolk is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Petersburg is an independent city in the Richmond region.

Staunton is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley.

Williamsburg is an independent city in Hampton Roads.