Convicted teen killer given another chance at parole

Nearly 30 years after he bludgeoned his Canton High School classmate with a baseball bat to satisfy a violent curiosity, convicted killer Rod Matthews is headed back before the state parole board later this month to plead for his release.

One of the state’s most notorious teen murderers, Matthews, now 43, was only a high school freshman when he lured his chosen target, Shaun Ouillette, into a wooded area in Canton known as “the pits” and ambushed him with repeated blows to the back of the head. He later bragged about the act to two of his classmates and took both in the ensuing days to view Ouillette’s lifeless body, which authorities discovered three weeks later, frozen and ravaged by animals.

Shaun Ouillette

The case gained national attention as Matthews became the first Massachusetts juvenile to be tried as an adult, and despite an attempted insanity plea, he was convicted of second degree murder in 1988 and sentenced to life in prison. During the trial, friends of Matthews testified that he wanted to know what it was like to kill someone, and he reportedly chose Ouillette because he was new to Canton and would not be missed.

On Tuesday morning, March 29, at the parole board office in Natick, Matthews will attempt to convince the seven-member panel that he is in fact a changed man and that he meets the standard for release as spelled out by state statute. Specifically, an inmate must demonstrate that he “will live and remain at liberty without violating the law, and that his release is not incompatible with the welfare of society.”

The March 29 hearing will mark Matthews’ third appearance before the parole board, following unsuccessful attempts in both 2001 and 2007. At the latter hearing, he showed visible emotion and insisted that years of therapy had rid him of his violent urges, which he attributed to his parents’ marital problems rather than his original insanity defense.

The board, however, rejected Matthews’ bid by a vote of 5-1, as the majority concluded that he still did not have a clear grasp of why he committed the murder.

Five years later, in 2012, Matthews came up for parole again but withdrew the request just days before the hearing date without offering any reason or explanation.

For the legion of Ouillette supporters, chief among them Shaun’s mother, Jeanne Quinn, Matthews’ inexplicable withdrawal was not only an inconvenience; it was insulting and served as further evidence that he is right where he belongs.

“It was a kick in the teeth,” said Quinn matter of factly in a recent telephone interview. “This isn’t like a doctor’s appointment or a schedule to get your hair done. This is sitting in a room 20 feet from a murderer and your kid is taking a dirt nap forever, and all of a sudden the rug is pulled right out from under you.”

Besides the monetary losses that supporters incurred in booking flights and travel arrangements, Quinn said Matthews’ cancelation took a major emotional toll as they lost the chance to “go and speak up for Shaun.” She also found it deeply troubling that Matthews’ rights seemed to trump those of the victim — an observation she touched on in a recent Facebook post.

“Once again, Shaun’s killer is up for a parole bid as a full grown man at age 43,” Quinn wrote on her personal Facebook page. “But Shaun will always be no more than 14. Rod Matthews will be exercising his right to be released on parole, his right to explain how well he has done while in prison, and even his right to perhaps postpone his parole hearing again, leaving so many of Shaun’s friends and family heartbroken.

“Shaun Ouillette has only one right though … The right to remain silent.”

Quinn said her niece had suggested the post as a way to gain supporters in advance of the hearing. What she didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming response that the post would receive, as it immediately became a trending topic on Facebook while generating more than 45,000 likes, 47,000 shares, and 19,000 comments.

Quinn said the Facebook response is going to be entered into the record at the parole hearing, along with the pile of new letters that the post has inspired. From her view, it is an affirmation that her son has not been forgotten and that he “did not die in vain,” although she would still be there fighting Matthews’ release no matter who turned out behind her.

Jeanne Quinn (center) and daughter Yvonne are overcome with emotion at a memorial ceremony for Shaun at St. Mary’s Cemetery in 2012. (Tanya Willow photo)

“He’s evil,” Quinn said of Matthews. “I mean he planned Shaun’s death; he looked for someone to kill. He had a list of people and he bragged about how he was looking for someone to kill.”

As for her strategy at the upcoming parole hearing, Quinn said she has spent the past few weeks mentally preparing and putting her “armor” on, and she “pretty much” knows what she plans to say to the board.

“But I’m also really hesitant because I don’t know what he’s going to do,” she said. “We just have to wait and see and hope we get that far.”

If Matthews does go forward with the hearing, Quinn expects that he will bring in experts who will cite the recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling pertaining to juveniles with life sentences. In the decision, which inspired a 2014 state law, the court ruled that juveniles who are convicted of first-degree murder must be afforded parole hearings. The court also noted the “unique characteristics of juvenile offenders” and concluded that the age of the offender should be among the factors considered when determining suitability for parole.

Quinn said the ruling should not apply to the Matthews case because he was convicted of second-degree murder and has already received multiple parole hearings. However, she fully expects his side to “grasp at straws” while zeroing in on the argument that a juvenile brain is not fully developed.

Even James Fox, the Northeastern University criminologist who Quinn had previously considered one of her key supporters, has since changed his mind about Matthews and testified on his behalf, claiming in 2007 that he was a different person and that his brain had physically changed from when he was a teenager.

And then there is the fact that the parole board itself has changed considerably since the last time Matthews appeared. In particular, the board underwent a major shakeup in 2011 after a paroled inmate shot and killed a Woburn police officer. And while parole rates have declined under the new board overall, the results for juveniles serving life sentences have been mixed, with 53 percent (eight of 15) earning their release in 2013, according to statistics issued by the parole board.

Yet no matter how high the success rate is and no matter how many expert witnesses testify on Matthews’ behalf, Quinn said she would be “struck down” before she allowed herself to give up the fight against Matthews’ release.

“What kind of responsible human being would I be?” she said. “About as responsible as the former parole board to sit back and do nothing. I may as well dig a hole and put my head in the sand.”

“People think I’m up there for revenge and I’m not,” insisted Quinn. “I may even be willing to forgive him, but there’s a big difference between forgive and forget — and I will never forget what he did to my son.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 18 2016. Filed under News, Police & Fire. Both comments and pings are currently closed.