Matthews to parole board: not that ‘troubled, angry kid’

By Jay Turner

Expressing deep regret for his actions and insisting that he would not be a threat to others if granted his release, convicted murderer Rod Matthews told the state parole board on Tuesday that he now fully understands why he took the life of former Canton High School classmate Shaun Ouillette and insisted that he is no longer that “14-year-old, troubled, angry kid” that once posed a threat to society.

Rod Matthews (center) appears before the parole board.

“Today I am a 43-year-old, mature adult,” Matthews told the board in requesting his release. “I understand why I murdered Shaun, and I know I will never hurt anyone again.”

The soft-spoken Matthews, who is currently in the 29^th year of a life sentence at MCI Shirley, became emotional at times but was otherwise direct and measured as he recounted the chilling details of the 1986 murder — how he had “plotted and planned” it in the weeks leading up to November 20; how he had lured Ouillette into the woods and struck him several times in the back of the head with a baseball bat; and how he had gone on with his life in the days afterward “like nothing had happened.”

In retrospect, Matthews said it was his inability to process his emotions and to cope with the turmoil in his home life — including his father’s repeated extramarital affairs — that led him to lash out and fueled his “obsession” to kill. He noted how he had confessed his violent thoughts to a teacher but then felt even more hopeless when the teacher did not seem to take the matter seriously.

He also recalled how he had confided his plans to close friends Robbie Peterson and Jonathan Cash — who would later become the state’s two star witnesses — and how their willingness to engage in talks of murder was a “turning point” for him.

Matthews said he mistook their reaction for support and found the need to prove himself to his friends. However, he repeatedly stressed throughout the hearing that the murder of Ouillette was entirely his fault and “all of his doing,” a fact that he said took years of intensive therapy and inward reflection to accept.

“I forced myself to look inside and stop making excuses for the life I had taken,” he said.

Matthews also addressed a 2012 incident in which his brother’s girlfriend went to Peterson’s home with a letter Matthews had written and urged Peterson to “come clean” and admit his role in the murder. Matthews said he had no involvement in that incident and that his letter to Peterson, which was submitted into the record, amounted to an apology and an expression of support.

Matthews said he is full of guilt and shame over the destruction he has wrought and has devoted his life in prison to learning what caused him to kill and to bettering himself through individual and group counseling sessions. He apologized to Ouillette’s family members and said he “wished it was [his] life that was taken rather than Shaun’s.”

Throughout his nearly two-hour testimony, Matthews also fielded several questions from parole board members, including questions about his mental health, personal relationships, and his decision to seek parole for a third time following denials in 2001 and 2007.

One board member observed that Matthews seemed to be “divorced from his own feelings,” while another suggested that the family problems he described were commonplace in many homes.

“You described the average American family,” he said, “and if that’s dysfunctional, then most of America is dysfunctional.”

However, Dr. Robert Kinscherff, who spoke on behalf of Matthews and recommended his release, indicated that Matthews was “severely emotionally disturbed” as a teenager but has grown considerably in the years since and does not present with antisocial traits or evidence of psychosis. He considered Matthews to be a low risk to reoffend and suggested that he could successfully transition into society with a “thoughtful parole plan.”

Matthews mother, Janice, also testified on his behalf, expressing her “deepest sympathies” to Ouillette’s family and noting how much her son has changed.

Janice said Matthews is “tormented” by what he did but has grown into a mature and thoughtful man. She assured the board that she would help him get the support that he needs while stating that she has “no doubt” that Matthews would never hurt anyone again.

Jeanne Quinn holds a portrait of her son Shaun outside the parole board office.

Speaking on behalf of the victim were several members of Shaun’s family, including his sister Yvonne, brother Matthew, and mother, Jeanne Quinn, as well as Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz and a Norfolk County assistant district attorney.

Berkowitz noted how the crime “rocked” the Canton community and how many people in town were “deeply, deeply affected.” He said Matthews’ testimony was full of excuses and he feels that Matthews is still without remorse. “In my personal and professional opinion as a police officer, Rod is where he belongs—in prison,” he said.

The Norfolk ADA stated that Matthews is a “manipulator and a predator” and that he once convinced his siblings to falsify an affidavit to help him secure an appeal. She also talked about the brutality of the murder and concluded that Matthews’ release would pose an “alarming threat to public safety.”

Quinn, a fierce advocate for her son’s legacy for nearly 30 years, also focused on public safety in her remarks before the board. “That’s the crux of the whole thing — public safety,” said Quinn.

While acknowledging that she used to be angry and hateful, Quinn made it clear that she was no longer out for revenge and even addressed Matthews directly, telling him that she forgives him.

“I have forgiven you, Rod, but there is a difference, as I’ve said before, between forgive and forget.”

Quinn said it was a “crusher” to hear testimony about how Matthews had chosen to kill her son because of the way he dressed and because he would be the “least missed.” But equally crushing, she said, was the fact that Yvonne remains out of state because she is terrified that Matthews will be released.

“Just please,” she begged the board members, “make us safe. We deserve that. We have the right for that. I want my daughter to come home. She needs me.”

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