Family members of murdered boxer and reputed mob enforcer Eddie Melo say they’re outraged that the hit man who killed him and another man for $50,000 is getting at least six months of day passes from prison to do community service work in Muskoka.Charles Gagne, who turned 45 on Wednesday, was on a day pass for robbing a grocery store with an automatic rifle when he murdered Melo, 40, and his friend Jaoa (Johnny) Pavao, 42, outside Amici Sport Café in Cliffway Plaza, near Hurontario St. and the QEW on April 6, 2001.Melo’s daughter Jessica said it’s particularly painful that Gagne is getting his passes around Father’s Day. Melo had two daughters and a son.“It’s brutal,” Jessica Melo said. “I feel terrible every time it (Father’s Day) comes around.”Gagne was given a life sentence in 2003 with no eligibility for parole for 12 years after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the contract murders.Gagne was given permission last month to do community service work within a 100 km radius of the Beaver Creek minimum security prison in Gravenhurst.He must be accompanied by either a Correctional Service of Canada worker or “a trained non security escort,” according to a Corrections document obtained by the Star.Jessica Melo noted that Gagne was already permitted to marry while in custody.“Can his wife bring him lunch? I don’t know,” Jessica Melo said.The parole board Canada declined to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns.Gagne’s day passes came after retired prosecutor Steve Sherriff gave Gagne a vote of confidence before the Parole Board last November.Sherriff, who put Gagne behind bars for the Melo and Pavao murders, did not return requests from the Star for a comment on Gagne’s passes from prison.Jessica, along with Eddie’s brother Joey Melo, blamed Sherriff for not seeking a dangerous offender designation for Gagne, which could h ...
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