But that was not enough for Parole Board chair Sir Ron Young to allow 48-year-old Jarrod Allan Mangels to be free of his GPS tracker.
“This was a particularly horrific murder,” he said.
“Mr Mangels has had his struggles in coping in the community after almost 18 years in prison and a long history of violent offending and although he is doing well, we still think it important that we monitor compliance with the geographical restriction.”
Mangels strangled his neighbour Maureen McKinnel in Arrowtown on Boxing Day in 1987.
The 38-year-old victim’s naked body was found five days later, dumped under the Arrow River bridge but the case was only solved in 2003, when scientific advances meant the killer’s DNA could be matched with that found under the woman’s fingernails.
Mangels was granted parole nearly a year ago despite the vehement protestations of Ms McKinnel’s family.
‘‘We have serious concerns about his chance of reoffending and would not want another whanau to go through what we have,” they said.
But Sir Ron said Mangels had complied with his conditions since being released, was engaged in counselling and had tested negative for drugs.
The board, at a final progress meeting last week, heard the killer had stable accommodation and was working on a dairy farm.
Because of Mangels’ “excellent progress”, Sir Ron cancelled the 10pm-6am curfew he had been subject to.
However, a bid to change the bounds of his exclusion zone and come off the GPS tracker were declined.
“Mr Mangels did not have any compelling reasons. We contacted some of the victims before [his] hearing today and their feedback was to strongly oppose any change to the geographical restriction and so we refused that application,” said Sir Ron.
However, he said the restriction would end in August.
Mangels was released last year despite claims he was unable to remember his murderous attack.
He said a head injury he sustained after a clash with a gang in 1999 meant he had no memories from before then.
