The man convicted of the brutal murder of a Collingwood woman in her apartment in 1989 has again applied for parole, but has been denied.
James Brown killed Debbie Timlock in 1989 by striking her on the head, stabbing her multiple times, choking her and sexually assaulting her.
This month, he went before a parole board for a video hearing to ask for day parole and full parole, both of which were denied as the board ruled there was too great a risk of Brown reoffending.
“While there has been progress in your correctional plan since your original incarceration, there are deficits in personal emotional orientation and attitude and these have been illustrated in your behaviour,” states the report from the Parole Board of Canada to Brown. “At this time, the board … finds your risk is not manageable on day or full parole.”
Brown is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder for killing Timlock, a 33-year-old single mother at the time, in her home on Oak Street on June 19, 1989.
Brown, who was in his 20s then, was tried and found guilty in 1992.
During a parole hearing in 2010, he admitted to the murder.
Brown, now 58, was given full parole on Oct. 16, 2018, which was revoked by the Parole Board of Canada on Feb. 13, 2024.
Parole revocation is rare, occurring in about 10 per cent of cases.
Its significance was noted in the March 2025 report by the Parole Board of Canada following Brown’s video hearing.
“Although you demonstrated consistent positive behaviour for many years on conditional release in the community, you were involved in numerous problematic incidents leading up to the suspension and revocation of your full parole,” states the report.
The board concluded the incidents that led to the revocation of Brown’s parole “demonstrated a return to poor managed emotions, deficits in problem-solving and attitudes surrounding the use of aggression and violence.”
Since returning to prison, Brown has worked with a psychologist and has been employed as kitchen help.
He passed two urine drug tests, and finished micro-credential courses for training in trades and customer service.
Brown was involved in a fight with another inmate within the last year, throwing the last punch after guards separated the two.
According to the parole board, Brown claims he was being “muscled” to smuggle sugar to another inmate, which can be used for brewing alcohol, and he had to send a message that he wouldn’t be bullied.
The board report notes concern that Brown’s actions were violent and he continues to justify them.
“The board credits you for much of your behaviour since your return to the institution,” states the report. “Despite this, the inmate fight within the past year, and importantly your justification, indicates there remains a level of acceptance of violence when you determine the situation calls for it.”
The board further said Brown’s actions demonstrate poor decision-making and a lack of consequential thinking.
Brown is now married, and submitted that his plan for day parole is to use a halfway house.
If granted full parole, Brown would live with his wife. He said he can return to an old job and has other job offers.
This plan was denied, but the parole board noted Brown’s current parole officer is going through the process of having Brown reassessed as a minimum-security offender, which would qualify him for a minimum-security facility.
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Debbie Timlock’s murder in 1989 was a mystery for several months.
In the years leading up to Brown's arrest, investigators focused on two key pieces of evidence: a squished tomato in the grass outside Timlock’s window that still bore the markings of a herringbone pattern stamped into it from a shoe, and a pair of eyeglasses.
An episode of Forensic Files includes details of the investigation and how those on the case used both the tomato and the glasses to connect Brown to the murder.
Brown was formerly Timlock’s neighbour. He had tried to break into her apartment three years before killing her.
When he did break into the basement apartment in 1989, he struck Timlock on the head and stabbed her several times. The parole decision document also states there was evidence of asphyxia and sexual assault.
Brown was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs when he murdered Timlock and had been drinking in a bar earlier that same evening.
Timlock called police from her apartment, but died before emergency crews arrived.
The judge in the case called Brown's crime a "murder of rage and sexual degradation, fuelled by alcohol and unrequited obsession."
He was convicted of first-degree murder and assault causing bodily harm. The second charge came from Brown kneeing a correctional officer in the stomach during a routine search. Brown had past convictions dating back to 1985 for assault (four counts), assault causing bodily harm (two counts), property offences (two counts), and failure to comply with recognizance, according to the parole document.
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More on this story from the archives:
Parole condition lifted for man who murdered Collingwood woman in 1989
Full parole granted for man convicted in brutal 1989 Collingwood murder
Parole revoked for man convicted of killing Collingwood woman in 1989
