Parole board denied early release for ‘extremely dangerous predator’

John Moniz won’t be let out of jail until April 2019

The state Board of Pardons and Paroles on Friday denied early release from prison for John Moniz, a repeat sex offender who was described by a judge as an “extremely dangerous predator” when he was sentenced in 2011 to a decade of confinement for sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman in New London.

The unanimous decision of a three-member panel came as a relief to the victim, who asked to be identified only as “K.” She lives out of state but was able to listen to the hearing and address the parole board via speakerphone.

“I can’t change what happened on that fateful day,” she said. “But I will do all in my power to protect other women from the likes of John Moniz.”

A victim advocate for the Department of Correction confirmed that Moniz, 54, would remain in prison through his anticipated release date of April 2019 and then would begin 15 years of strict supervision under the state’s special parole status. Moniz would have become eligible for release in November after serving 85 percent of his sentence, which is mandatory for violent offenders.

The parole board denied his application for parole based on the injury and impact to the victim, his criminal history and the nature and circumstance of the offense, the advocate said.

Upon his release, Moniz will be monitored via GPS, is required to register for life as a sexual offender, is prohibited for 50 years from contact with the victim and cannot consume alcohol. If he fails to comply with the parole conditions, he could be re-incarcerated without a court trial.

The victim said that during the hearing, Moniz described completing a four-month rape counseling program in prison and said he had a job lined up upon his release. She said Moniz falsely claimed that he and she knew each other.

According to court documents and testimony, Moniz abducted “K” in a New London parking lot as she left a friend’s apartment at 4 a.m. on March 26, 2002, to go to her job at a convenience store. He shoved her in her car and held her hostage for eight hours, driving her to New York and repeatedly sexually assaulting her before dropping her off at a local gas station.

Police said he attempted to abduct another woman about a month later in Groton but she fought back and he was arrested. He served six years in prison for first-degree unlawful restraint.

New London police arrested Moniz for the New London crimes in 2010 after hearing from the state forensic laboratory that DNA taken from him as the result of the other felony conviction matched samples that had been collected from victim “K” and her car.

The victim said Friday that she has kept in contact with New London Police Detective Keith Crandall, who had worked hard to solve her case, and that she would be contacting him to tell him about the parole hearing.

As for Moniz, “K” said she knows he’ll be released eventually but “at least he’s got another Thanksgiving and another Christmas behind bars.”