Man who killed Toronto police officer in 1994 denied bail for 4th time

Clinton Gayle has been denied parole for the fourth time, continuing his life sentence for the first-degree murder of Toronto police Const. Todd Baylis and the attempted murder of Baylis’ partner, Const. Mike Leone, in 1994. A two-person panel concluded that Gayle lacks sufficient insight into why he committed the crime, a critical factor in assessing his risk to re-offend.

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We are still struggling to get an understanding what was going through your mind when you shot and killed Const. Baylis and tried to shoot and kill Const. (Leone)

Despite a recent psychological assessment indicating Gayle is a low risk to re-offend and no concerns arising during escorted temporary absences, the parole board struggled to understand his motivations. "We are still struggling to get an understanding what was going through your mind when you shot and killed Const. Baylis and tried to shoot and kill Const. (Leone)," said board member Ian Mackenzie, a retired police chief.

Const. Mike Leone recounted the harrowing events of June 16, 1994, when Baylis, 25, was killed during a walk-through of an apartment building. Leone told the board that "but for Gayle’s gun jamming, he would have murdered me just as he executed my partner, Todd Baylis." Leone managed to draw his own firearm to save his life after Gayle's weapon malfunctioned. He also revealed that Gayle was under a deportation order he was actively avoiding.

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but for Gayle’s gun jamming, he would have murdered me just as he executed my partner, Todd Baylis.

Mackenzie noted that Gayle's explanations for his actions have varied over time, including during this hearing. The board weighed Gayle's strong family support, housing plans, and cultural connections, but remained unconvinced about his understanding of the extreme violence he employed. "We’ve also considered your Black social history is relevant but going back to the concerns, we are still struggling to understand what your motivation was, when you did what you did," Mackenzie stated.

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Unbeknownst to us, but very well known to Mr. Gayle, was the fact he was under a deportation order that he was avoiding.

The board indicated that a potential move to a halfway house might be manageable due to parole officer supervision. However, Gayle's current release plan does not include such a provision, leaving the path forward uncertain for his potential reintegration.

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You’ve been in front of the board a few times and your explanation and accounts have changed even today. We are putting significant weight on what were you thinking when you shot them. Were you trying to escape and do anything to escape or were you trying to defend yourself?