Dante Arthurs: Child killer to remain in jail after parole board refuses to release

The evil child killer Dante Arthurs will remain under lock and key for at least another three years after the parole board again refused to release the monster.

In a crime that shocked the state, Arthurs, then 21, was sentenced to life in prison for the sexual assault and murder of eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez-Uruccio Shu in the restroom of the Canning Vale shopping center on June 26, 2006.

Arthur was ordered to serve a 13-year term without parole, an outrageous and harsher sentence. The sentence expired in 2019.

At the time, the State Board of Prisoners decided that he should not be released until his case was reconsidered three years later.

As first reported by The West Australian, the review took place on Fridayand the council again decided that it should remain locked up at least until 2025.

“Taking into account the materials at its disposal, the Council decided to reconsider the case of Mr. Arthur on May 23, 2025,” the council said.

The reasons for this decision remain confidential. By law, a standard three-year sentence is for those serving life sentences.

Attorney General John Quigley declined to comment on the latest decision, but described Arthur’s crime in 2019 as “one of the most shocking and brutal crimes of recent times.”

Earlier, there were calls, including from former Police Commissioner Carl O’Callaghan, for Arthur to be dealt with in accordance with the laws for serial killers and mass murderers, which prohibit them from applying for parole for up to six years.

Serial killer Catherine Byrne is one of the few people on this list.

Last month the West showed this year will see the parole of more of WA’s worst killersincluding James Stapleton, who was sentenced to life in prison for torturing 14-year-old Cleon Jackman in May 1999.

Stapleton’s case was also heard on Friday, but the council decided to postpone its decision until later this year.

During his brutal, deadly attack, Stapleton beat the boy with firewood and a shovel before tying ligatures on his head and shoving toilet paper down his throat.

Stapleton then used a piece of wood through his throat to stop the teen’s breathing before burying his body in the bushes near Pickering Brook.

Douglas Crabbe, who killed five people when he drove his truck to Uluru Pub in 1983, is also allowed to consider parole every six years, and in August he is due to address a commission.