A convicted hit man got a 60-day pass to Toronto. His wife says he shouldn’t come back

The wife of convicted hit man Charles Gagne says she's afraid.

I'm terrified right now and I have every reason to be," Melissa Gagne said in one of several recent interviews.

The GTA mother said she split from her husband during a recent 60-day release from prison, which ended on Sunday, July 17.

Gagne was sentenced to life in prison in 2003 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the contract killings of GTA boxer Eddie Melo and his friend Joao (Johnny) Pavao in 2001. He became eligible for parole 12 years into his sentence. Earlier this year, he was granted an unescorted pass to Toronto.

Charles Gagne argued at parole hearings that his marriage to Melissa was a reason why he should be granted parole in the GTA, even though he has never lived here.

The Quebec native said their relationship made him a gentler, more sensitive man and he wanted to help her run her business - a dating site for inmates where they met.

Gagne called Melissa the love of my life" while applying for parole, trying to reassure the parole board that his days of trying to move up the organized crime ladder are behind him.

I only want to talk to people that are pro-social," he said, adding Money is the root of all evil, I think."

He told the parole board that he has found simpler, better life goals.

I just want to be a homebody," Gagne said, emphasizing his remorse.

I turned into a monster over the years," he said. Those were my choices. I'm deeply saddened by what I've done."

Gagne has since returned to prison after his 60-day pass expired, but Melissa said she's worried he will be out again soon, and back in the GTA.

I gave him my wedding ring back," she said, adding: If anything happens, you've been warned."

Court heard Gagne was paid $50,000 to murder Melo, 40, in the parking lot of the tiny Cliffway Plaza, near Hurontario Street and the QEW in Mississauga on April 6, 2001.

Gagne later told court that Melo's friend Pavao, 42, was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At the time of the murders, Gagne was on parole in an Ottawa halfway house after robbing a supermarket with a machine gun.

Court heard he drove from Ottawa to the GTA, murdered Melo and Pavao, and then returned to the halfway house by bedtime.

Gagne told the parole board that he wanted to live in the GTA because of his love for Melissa.

I have no intention of going anywhere else. My wife is the love of my life and I will do anything to be with her," he said, adding that he wanted to help her with her dating website business.

Clients have included Matt Johnston, whose dating profile says he loves to play and watch hockey, is loyal and looking for a special girl with whom to share his love and strength. Johnston murdered two innocent men and four rival gang members in B.C. gang warfare.

There's also Nathan Zuccherato, who posts on the site that he likes the Blue Jays, reading, working out and rap and R&B music. Zuccerato's also a gang killer, convicted for committing multiple murders in Calgary.

Then there's Luka Magnotta, who dismembered a victim and mailed his body parts to schools and political parties.

Melissa doesn't particularly like to talk about him.

I am definitely not a naive person," Melissa Gagne said. I've met the worst of the worst from this website."

Melissa said her marriage went downhill after she told Gagne his release plan wasn't structured enough. She said she told him that it was wrong for him to agree to parole at a halfway house that was close to gyms where Melo used to train.

At the time of the Melo and Pavao murders, Gagne also had convictions for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and a variety of driving, property, weapon and drug offences and breaches of trust.

Gagne admitted at a November 2017 parole hearing that he also committed at least another 20 armed bank robberies for which he was never caught. He also said that he was involved in organized crime, but not at a high level, saying his duties involved debt collection.

Court heard that Melo was sometimes a driver for Montreal mobster Frank Cotroni, a boxing fan who sometimes visited the GTA.

Melissa said she knows enough about organized crime to know her estranged husband shouldn't live in Cabbagetown, close to where Melo trained.

Melo's daughter Jessica was outraged to hear Charles Gagne served his time out of prison in Cabbagetown, an area she sometimes visits and where her father was a well-known, popular figure.

I don't even have words for that," she said. I'm shocked. I'm shocked. My body is covered in goosebumps."

Correction: July 24, 2022 - This story has been updated from a previously published version to fix the spelling of Joao Pavao's name.

Peter Edwards is a Toronto-based reporter primarily covering crime for the Star. Reach him via email: pedwards@thestar.ca