Utah parole board rescinds release date for repeat sexual offender after victim testimony

SALT LAKE CITY — A repeat sexual offender won’t be getting out of prison next year as expected.

Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole released a new decision this week rescinding Byron Thad Haderlie’s parole date in February 2025. The change comes after the board previously granted his release without input from his victims, including his ex-wife.

“What a difference it makes to attend those hearings and to be able to have your voice heard,” said Cami Johnson, who is feeling relief after learning about the parole board’s latest decision.

The KSL Investigators have reported on the cases against Haderlie extensively through the Failure to Protect series, illuminating gaps at every level of Utah’s criminal justice system.

Background

Johnson reported to police in Cache County in 2017 that Haderlie, 54, drugged and raped her and sent explicit images of her to people that were taken while she was incapacitated. Despite Johnson reporting to police quickly and undergoing a forensic exam at the hospital, failures by law enforcement to properly investigate her case left Haderlie free.

More than a year later, a 16-year-old girl reported to police in a different county that Haderlie drugged and attempted to sexually assault her too.

Sexual assault survivor says delays in police investigation allowed perpetrator to attack a teenager

Haderlie was sentenced in the case involving the teen in 2019. Then, in October 2023, he was sentenced to zero to 15 years for lesser charges he pleaded guilty to in the case involving Johnson.

But within three months of his sentencing, Johnson learned Utah’s parole board had granted Haderlie’s release, set for February 2025, without her input. The letter the board mailed to notify Johnson about Haderlie’s January hearing was sent to the wrong address and returned to sender.

Victim Impact Hearing

In March, the parole board agreed to reconsider its decision to release Haderlie and a special victim impact hearing.

More than two dozen people – many wearing white sweatshirts – packed the hearing to show their support for Johnson and the survivor assaulted by Haderlie as a teenager.

His release had been contingent on his completion of sex offender treatment. The Department of Corrections notified the board in June that Haderlie would not meet that contingency.

‘Three years of freedom’

The board held another hearing on Tuesday. Haderlie again asked for a release date, noting he had exhibited good behavior behind bars and said if released, he wouldn’t try to contact any of his family members or the survivors who want him to stay locked up.

“I am going to move forward with life. I’m going to do the things that I need to do,” he said. “So, I’m asking for that opportunity and for that date.”

The board’s new decision does not include a parole date. Instead, Haderlie is ordered to participate in a mental health evaluation and multiple programs, including one called “Victim Impact.” The board has scheduled Haderlie’s next parole hearing for August 2027.

“That is three years that we know that we’re not going to be stalked. That is three years of freedom,” said Johnson.

The board’s written decision notes it was based, in part, on the “extreme cruelty or depravity” of Haderlie’s crimes, as well as “substantial physical or psychological injury” to multiple victims.

Johnson said she believes the shift in the board’s decision highlights the importance of victim participation in parole hearings.

“I think we just have to continuously speak and tell and talk even though it sucks so bad. It is the worst to have to relive it over and over again,” she said. “But these people have got to be held accountable.”

Victim Notification

Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole has promised to improve its victim notification services by creating a victim-centered notification system.

On Friday, Jennifer Yim, Administrative Director of Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole, said the first phase of its victim notification platform is expected to go live this fall.

“The first phase will create the infrastructure for the Board to track and maintain victim preferences in its system and provide notifications in multiple ways (e.g., text, phone, email). After phase one is complete, the Board will work toward the creation of a portal that will allow victims, their representatives or advocates, to enter their contact information and preferences,” Yim wrote in an email to KSL.

She said the board is also in the final phase of hiring a new director of public outreach and transparency.

Until the new victim notification system is up and running, Yim has said the best thing a victim or survivor who wants to participate in parole hearings can do is call or write to the board and let them know their preferences for when and how the board contacts them.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole can be reached at 801-261-6464.

This report is part of a series examining how apparent gaps at every level of Utah’s criminal justice system fail to protect Utahns.

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If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Help Line at 1-801-736-4356 (English) or 1-801-924-0860 (Spanish). You can also call the Rape Recovery Center office line during office hours at 801-467-7282 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.

Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.