A police informant whose testimony helped put Dean Daniel Kelsie behind bars says last week's decision to release the former Hells Angels hitman on day parole is a mistake.

Paul Derry, who says he has known Kelsie since he was six years old, does not mince words when it comes to his assessment of his former friend.

"He will kill again and that's not me being scared of anybody or any vendetta against Deano," Derry said in an interview with CBC News.

At a hearing on July 18, the Parole Board of Canada decided to release Kelsie, 50, on day parole for a period of six months.

Kelsie is serving a life sentence for murder. He shot and killed Sean Simmons in the lobby of an apartment building in north-end Dartmouth, N.S., in October 2000. Three other men were also charged in the killing, which was allegedly ordered by a member of the Hells Angels who was upset that Simmons had an affair with his wife.

The case has taken a long and winding road through the justice system. Neil William Smith and Wayne Alexander James were sentenced to life in prison for their part in the murder. Steven Gareau had charges against him stayed in 2018.

Derry, who drove Kelsie and the others to the apartment building, was a police informant; his testimony was instrumental in their convictions.

First granted parole in 2021

Kelsie was originally convicted of first-degree murder. After the decision was overturned on appeal and a new trial ordered, the Supreme Court of Canada refused a bid by Nova Scotia prosecutors to reinstate the first-degree murder conviction, instead substituting a conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

He was first granted day parole in 2021, and his release was reviewed every six months. But his release was suspended in January of this year and he was sent back to prison after he threatened a co-worker at the job he'd landed outside of prison.

Derry, who contacted CBC News after reading of Kelsie's release, said the decision could have grave consequences.

"If the parole board continues to let Deano out on any kind of release, he is eventually going to kill somebody," Derry said Monday.

"He has not changed a bit. That's very apparent by everything you've watched over the last couple of years since his appeal, his last trial."

The board has imposed special conditions on Kelsie's release. They include that he abstain from drugs and alcohol, not associate with anyone with a criminal record, stay away from the Simmons family and take anger management training.

Simmons family also opposes release

Kelsie's case management team and the Simmons family both opposed his release on day parole.

The parole board found that Kelsie is better able to control his emotions and is less likely to get into confrontations. Kelsie noted at his parole hearing that he has lined up a job that will mostly involve him working by himself, thereby reducing the risk of conflict.

Derry said Kelsie only began behaving differently after the Supreme Court decision in March 2019.

"It wasn't until all of a sudden, when he had his last appeal and they decided to drop the charges to second-degree, all of a sudden he had a spiritual awakening and [got] in touch with his Aboriginal roots."

Derry was placed in witness protection for his testimony, although he feuded with RCMP after he said police failed to heed his warning that a murder was being planned.

Derry said life has been hard on his family.

"Watching my family go through what they've gone through has been difficult," he said. 

"There's no end to this sentence. I mean, never mind the fact that you have to constantly think about the part you played in those things but you also have to look at what your family goes through because of what you do now, even if you've changed, it doesn't change the damage that's done and that continues to go on."

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