Three of September's seven parole grants involved sexual-offense convictions

Three of the seven people the Virginia Parole Board granted parole in September were convicted of sexual offenses, according to the board's September decisions report. All three had earlier parole violations on their records.

Clarence Eugene Billups, 71, of Norfolk, has two 1992 rape convictions, a 2023 parole violation and a 2023 Norfolk conviction for rape of a victim under 13, which carried 10 years with all but three months suspended, the report shows. The Washington Examiner reported that Billups was convicted in 2023 of raping the child while out on parole for the earlier convictions.

In Billups' case, the board's Victim Services team said the two victims "are okay with his release" but asked that he stay away from them and their families, according to the Sept. 10 minutes. Members cited a severe long-term disability limiting daily activity, a low risk-assessment score and a stable release plan, and Vice Chair Kecia Brothers Hayes said the prosecuting attorney supports release. Board members Valerie Boykin and Shannon Dion each said "three years is enough time to serve on a technical violation." The minutes do not explain that description.

In September 2023, the board under Gov. Glenn Youngkin denied Billups parole, citing his "prior failure(s) and/or convictions while under community supervision," according to that month's report.

Waverly Otis Robinson, 63, was convicted of four counts of forcible sodomy in Hopewell in 1993 and of statutory burglary in Petersburg in 1992, and his record lists a 2018 parole violation, the report shows. The minutes record no victim opposition. Members cited rehabilitation, institutional adjustment, community support and a low risk score, and Brothers Hayes said he had been infraction-free since 2013.

John Michael Moran Jr., 56, was convicted of rape and robbery in Staunton in 1990 and of larceny, breaking and entering and simple assault in Augusta County, and his record lists a 2021 parole violation. The Victim Services team said it could not connect with the victims despite "exhaustive efforts," according to the minutes, though the written report lists "no victim opposition" among the reasons.

This newsroom found no contemporaneous news coverage of the Hopewell or Staunton offenses. In keeping with this newsroom's policy, no victims of sexual offenses are identified.

Each of the three grants passed 4-0 at the Sept. 10 meeting, the minutes show. The three had served an estimated 29 years, 6 months (Billups), 30 years, 4 months (Robinson) and 32 years, 3 months (Moran).

The board's reasons in these cases frequently referenced age and health, programming and infraction-free conduct. Two of the three, Billups and Robinson, were considered under both discretionary parole and geriatric conditional release, the minutes say.

By comparison, in August the board granted parole to eight people with sexual-offense convictions, according to its August report.

People released on parole after sexual-offense convictions remain subject to Virginia's sex-offender registry requirements and to conditions set by the board, which can revoke parole for violations.

How parole works in Virginia: Virginia effectively abolished parole for most crimes in 1995 under a truth-in-sentencing law, so parole is now available mainly to people convicted before that law took effect, to older prisoners through geriatric conditional release, and, under laws passed in 2020, to people who committed crimes as juveniles and to some people convicted by juries between 1995 and 2000, according to Bolts. The board reviews eligible people and generally reconsiders them annually. Statewide, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services reported 210.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, down 7% from 2024 and 14% from 2023, in its August 2026 report on crime trends.

Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley. Its county seat is Staunton, an independent city.