The seven-member state Parole Board turned two illegal immigrant murderers over to ICE agents in December while freeing a staggering 21 other killers and rapists during a series of decisions in the last month of the year, according to a Herald review.
In one heinous case, ICE thanked the Massachusetts Department of Correction for honoring an immigration detainer and informing Boston agents of Cesar Polanco’s release. The 59-year-old Lawrence killer served 17 years of a life sentence for beating his pregnant girlfriend to death. He’s now being deported to his native Dominican Republic.
The key, ICE said, was allowing immigration officers to grab Polanco while he was still in MCI-Norfolk just before being paroled — enabling them to “arrest (in) the safety of a jail cell rather than sending a team of officers into the community,” said acting ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director Patricia Hyde.
Polanco’s parole, however, was not the only one where the state notified immigration officials of an impending release.
The Executive Office of Public Safety, which oversees the Parole Board, said the department’s public documents speak for themselves and did not have further comment.
Further parole decisions made in December include:
Luis Perez
The DOC Parole Board reports that Perez was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after his parole was “granted” Dec. 19. Perez was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, armed robbery, arson and car theft in 1973 when he was 19 years old.
Under the 2024 state Supreme Judicial Court’s “Mattis” ruling, he is one of the scores of convicts who now qualify as an “emerging adult” — defined as those 18 through 20 years old when they committed a crime — who qualify for a parole hearing. Perez shot the victim he intended to rob of $5,000 in the head and set a Lowell apartment building on fire right after. Now 73 years old, he worked as a prison library law clerk and has an ICE detainer being honored, his parole document states. His nationality is not listed. “He is an ordained minister,” the Parole Board added.
Christine Alexander
Formerly known as Paul Stockwell, Alexander’s parole was “granted” to a long-term residential program after being convicted of first-degree murder in 1991. Alexander became “parole eligible” following the SJC’s “Mattis” decision last year.
Alexander strangled 18-year-old Mechelle Foster in Hull in 1989 after the victim refused to have an abortion. They had sex one last time before Alexander choked Foster to death and dumped her body in Brockton. Two Parole Board members and Foster’s family members along with the Plymouth DA’s office voted against parole. The Parole Board cited Alexander’s “history of gender dysphoria” as a stress factor.
Charles Brown
Also a “Mattis” case, Brown murdered a passenger in a cab in 1976 in Jamaica Plain. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University while imprisoned for the past 50 years. He’s “been assigned to Lowell House” re-entry program in Lowell.
Victor Bruce
Shot his older lover through a door in a jealous rage in 1999, he was 18 and she was 35. Parole “granted” to a long-term residential program after a six-month “step down.” He’s also a “Mattis” candidate. The victim’s daughter and brother along with the Middlesex DA’s office objected.
Nicola Colafella
In 1990 he shot and attacked four tenants in Mission Hill with a hatchet, killing two. He’s 87 now and was deemed “incompetent” earlier in his case. He will be sent to a “facility which will meet (his) mental and health needs.”
Steven Costa
Also a “Mattis” candidate, he killed a man with a shotgun in Freetown in 1988 after a night out drinking. He was 18 at the time and “began to engage in rehabilitation and self-development prior to the SJC’s Mattis decision,” the Parole Board wrote. His parole was “granted” after completion of an automotive course and a long-term residential program.
Anthony Dawley
He tied his pregnant ex-girlfriend up with an extension cord and strangled her to death in 1981. He’s now 67 and has “gained insight into his role in unhealthy relationships and patterns of abuse,” the board wrote. Parole was “granted” after a step-down, DA “clearance” and “lower custody.” He had pleaded guilty to the murder in Hampshire Superior Court.
Williams Dinkins
He was found guilty of murder in 1990 and assaulting a prison guard in 2000, but parole was “granted” after six months in lower security. The victim was 16 years old. Three board members voted to deny parole.
Timothy Dubuc
He killed his girlfriend in 2004 in Northhampton, but the day before police were called to the murder scene. His parole was “granted” after he “demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society,” the board wrote.
Kirk Fernette
Also a “Mattis” convict, Fernette robbed and shot a 75-year-old Middleboro man in 1983 after the victim offered to give him and a friend a ride to the bus station for their planned trip to Florida. They robbed and killed him instead. His accomplice bled to death after a police chase “when his tongue wound worsened.” Fernette was 18 at the time and his home plan was “granted.”
Robert Jacobs
A fight broke out at a party in Brockton in 2006 and Jacobs shot a teenager four times killing him. He’s a “Diatchenko decision” candidate also based on the incarceration of youthful offenders. His parole was “granted” under an interstate compact with Rhode Island.
Kevin Francis
Another “Mattis” case where parole was “granted” after 120 days minimum custody. Francis killed his ex-girlfriend in 1981 when he stabbed her to death. Her body was found in Franklin Field in Boston. He has “steadfastly maintained his innocence,” and is now 63 years old.
Joshua Kinzle
He pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated rape along with other crimes after breaking into a North Attleboro neighbor’s home where he raped and beat her with a golf club. “Now it’s time to die,” he said. That’s when his victim “punched out the screens of her bedroom window and screamed causing neighbors to call the police,” the Parole Board hearing summary states. Kinzle’s parole was “granted.” He was 18 at the time of the crimes as has “family the community support.” He must attend a long-term program and obtain DA clearance.
Three Parole Board members voted against his release.
Damien Lamb
In the winter of 2005, Lamb killed a man who owed a debt. The Becket slaying had a jury convict him of second-degree murder and related charges. His parole was “granted” after a six-month Western Mass re-entry program. Now in his mid-40s, his risk assessment is “low,” but his parole was opposed.
Luis Lopez
He shot a man in Holyoke in 2006 after telling police the victim had “attempted to rape his female friend.” Lopez was 18 at the time. He is paroled to a Long Term Residential Program after further rehabilitation.
Michael Marple
After being denied parole five times, his parole was “granted” to Gavin House, a substance abuse center. He was sentenced to life for beating a fellow MCI-Cedar Junction inmate with others over “ludes.” Marple is now 71 and must stay off drugs and alcohol.
Michael Mauney
Was serving life for the murder of a 26-year-old he shot outside the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester in 2005. Mauney then turned his gun on Boston police until later surrendering. Family members of the victim and the Suffolk DA’s office objected to the parole. The Parole Board ruled Mauney must serve 18 months in “lower security” first.
Eduardo Pena
Paroled to a long-term program after six months in lower security after killing a man and shooting another in 2009 after a “fight broke out outside a Lowell nightclub.” A summary of the case said Pena “bragged about the shooting and claimed to have done it because the victims were ‘talking too much (expletive).’” The board noted his “strong faith” was a factor in his parole.
William Smallwood
Also a “Mattis” case, he was paroled after robbing an Everett liquor store in 1977 when he was 19 with an accomplice when a customer who walked in during the robbery was shot and killed for refusing to go to the back of the store. Smallwood was fingered as the shooter. He’s now 66 and has “a release plan that will support his needs.”
Tieson Gonzalez
Sentenced to life for a drive-by shooting in Leominster in the summer of 2001, he appealed twice and lost both times. He has “struggled with addiction” he developed “during his incarceration” yet has a “strong re-entry plan.” His parole was “granted” after a residential program and lower security.
Alfred Therrien
Again, a “Mattis” case for robbing a market in Framingham in 1967 when he was 20. He shot one man in the heart killing him and another in the groin and later shooting at police. He was caught in Connecticut the next day. He’s been in prison for 57 years. Parole was “granted” on a home plan.
Marvin Taitt
In 2009, Taitt and another man were in a Brockton bar when he shot a man five times killing him. Taitt was 21 at the time. The Plymouth DA and family of the victim opposed parole, but Taitt was “granted” one, but not before conditions and a step-down to lower security.
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