Defendant in Monfils case denied parole

A man convicted of involvement in the 1992 murder of Tom Monfils has been denied parole.

Michael Johnson, 68, has “made the most of” his 20 years and 10 months imprisonment but should serve more time, a parole commissioner wrote this week. Release now “would unduly depreciate the seriousness of that crime,” the commissioner wrote.

Johnson, who is imprisoned at Oakhill Correctional Institution in Oregon, is next eligible for parole consideration in November.

He was one of six men convicted of the November 1992 murder of Tom Monfils, 35, whose body was found in a paper pulp vat at what was then the James River Corp. paper mill in Green Bay. One of those men, Mike Piaskowski of Green Bay, was since freed after his conviction was overturned in a federal appeals court, but the other men remain in Wisconsin prisons.

Police and prosecutors claim the men roughed up Monfils in retaliation after Monfils reported one of them stealing from the paper mill and then threw him, alive but unconscious, into the vat to conceal what they had done. Monfils’ body was found the next day after mill workers drained the vat.

The parole commissioner cited several details Johnson has claimed indicating his innocence, adding, “and it’s noted the case is back in the court of appeals.”

“There are many letters of support on file, including a letter from the sentencing judge, which have been taken into consideration,” the commissioner wrote. “You have a positive attitude and remain committed to your spiritual beliefs despite your circumstances.

"As discussed today, serving additional time in a productive manner and transitioning successfully through reduced levels of custody with work release will help to demonstrate a mitigated level of risk,” the commissioner wrote.

Co-defendant Keith Kutska recently sought a new trial on the grounds that new evidence indicates Monfils might have committed suicide. Reserve Judge James Bayorgeon rejected that argument. Kutska’s attorney reportedly plans to appeal that ruling.

psrubas@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter@PGpaulsrubas