A Halifax man who murdered a man at a Bedford car wash in 2002 will still be allowed to leave prison in Alberta to go to meetings and visit his pregnant girlfriend, the parole board has ruled.

Dana Joseph Melkert has “completed over 70 temporary absences successfully and there has been no indication that you have returned to criminal activity or shown any aggressive behaviours during these absences,” the Parole Board of Canada said in a decision released this week.

Melkert, 32, was handed a life sentence in 2004 for shooting Derrick Slaunwhite.

The 40-year-old Terence Bay man was found slumped over the steering wheel in his pickup truck at the Rubber Duck Car Wash on the morning of March 6, 2002. He had been shot once in the head.

Parole documents indicate Melkert has been making

steady progress in Alberta, where he is attending programs, learning a trade and staying sober with the help of Narcotics Anonymous. He has also had “gang-related tattoos removed” and in November was even a guest speaker at the University of Alberta, where he behaved “professionally and (was) receptive to all kinds of questions,” the parole board said.

While out on work release in March, a search of his bag turned up a pack of cigarettes, a bank card and an iPhone cord and plug. He was fined $10, the report said.

There have been no other issues, so the board granted his request to continue to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings and men’s group meetings in the community. These passes are good for 60 days. The board also allowed him to continue to visit his pregnant girlfriend, but not overnight.

“You continue to remain involved in a positive relationship and want to be involved in the baby’s upbringing,” the board said.

These passes are good for six months