A Winnipeg man who brutally murdered a woman who refused him a small loan has been granted full parole and is back living in public despite a judge's warning that the killing was so inexplicable that parole officials wouldn't look kindly on his case.

Mitchell Erhart, 36, was granted full parole by the National Parole Board on April 14.

Erhart pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was handed a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years on Oct. 7, 1998.

Erhart, then 24, admitted to killing Roberta Lee a year earlier by stabbing her 53 times. Court heard that Erhart murdered the 38-year-old woman after she refused to lend him $450 for his rent.

Parole documents said Erhart tried to cover up Lee's murder by making it look like a robbery.

Police stumbled upon Lee's body in her Winnipeg home a few days after she was killed, when a tip regarding another homicide probe led them there.

'Bewilderment and horror'

At Erhart's sentencing hearing, the presiding judge told him he shouldn't expect to be granted parole after the 12-year ineligibility period was up.

"I'm sure they'll look back at this case with bewilderment and horror, as we all do," Judge Ruth Krindle said.

Erhart was granted day parole on Sept. 18, 2008, and was living at a halfway house in the city until this month's decision, made by parole board members Linda Klein and Dina Dennis.

According to parole board documents, Erhart currently works at a full-time job, owns a home and is preparing to marry for at least the second time.

For the rest of his life, he will have to abide by conditions to stay away from drugs and alcohol, report any romantic relationships to his parole officer and attend counselling as directed by his case workers.

In the parole board's decision, Erhart is described as having had "a history of dysfunctional relationships." His first application for full parole in 2009 was denied because of concern he was having "domestic issues," documents said.

Erhart described as model prisoner

Reports to the parole board by Corrections Canada described Erhart as a model minimum-security prisoner who attended counselling workshops while behind bars.

He is currently classified as a low-to-medium risk to reoffend in a violent manner and is "committed" to remaining sober, the parole board stated.

"You appear to be equipped to handle day-to-day stressors within a relationship," parole documents said, adding that Erhart has expressed remorse over the killing.

"You verbalized remorse and said that you intend to use the memory of the victim as a driving force for you to live right," the documents said.