A man who picked up a hitchhiking teenager, beat him to death with a baseball bat and dumped his body next to a provincial park 20 years ago has been granted full parole.

Brian Townsend is now 71 years old, and has been serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. In July of 2000, Townsend picked up a 15-year-old boy who was hitchhiking, before beating him to death and pushing him out of his vehicle into a ditch, at the entrance of Steelhead Provincial Park just west of Savona.

Townsend was convicted of the killing in 2008 and sentence to life in prison.

In its most recent ruling issued on Dec. 2, the parole board says Townsend has been on day parole for nearly three years and has had no breaches of his probation conditions and has not used drugs or alcohol.

Townsend has been living on Vancouver Island at a halfway house since January of 2018, where he has “demonstrated positive behaviour,” while also volunteering and doing occassional handyman work to supplement his pension.

He also got married in October of 2019, and while his wife is aware of his history of offenses his relationship is a “positive source of support” according to the parole board.

Townsend’s day parole privileges were continued in June, before last week’s decision to increase his freedoms to a conditional release.

He will begin full parole on Jan. 8, 2021, and will not be allowed to buy or use drugs or alcohol, must not have any contact with the victim’s family, and must report all new relationships and friendships and report any changes to those relationships.