Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan confirmed that inmate Roy Booth, 42, has pled guilty to charges of mayhem and armed assault with intent to murder a Corrections Officer at MCI-Shirley, as per a report from the Middlesex DA's office. The violent incident occurred back in 2022, when Booth attacked Officer Matthew Tidman with a metal pole sourced from the prison's gymnasium. Having sustained severe injuries, Tidman survived, defying the grave danger he was in during the assault.
Sentenced today by Middlesex Superior Court Judge Catherine Ham, Booth is now facing a 13-15 year sentence. That will run consecutively with his current life sentence for a murder conviction in Virginia. The sentence passed down was intended to reflect both the severity of Booth's attack and the risk Corrections Officers take on daily. "Roy Booth’s brutal attack on Corrections Officer Matthew Tidman highlights the dangers that law enforcement, specifically Corrections Officers, face in their day-to-day work,” stated District Attorney Ryan. She asserted that workplace safety is a fundamental right, alluding to the peril that Tidman came to face unexpectedly.
According to details from the District Attorney’s office, during a recreation period, Booth had managed to take a metal pole, ordinarily used for weight training, and launched an unsuspected attack from behind on Officer Tidman. Booth's relentless assault only ceased when other Corrections Officers intervened and restrained him. Post-attack, Booth was transferred back to the Virginia prison system where he continues to serve a life sentence.
Officers investigating the brutal attack were from the Massachusetts State Police Detectives unit, working alongside the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. The legal proceedings were headed by prosecutors Thomas Brant and Yashmeen Desai, with support from Victim Witness Advocate Susie Marshall. The punishment awarded by Judge Ham serves as a grim reminder of the violence that law enforcement officials, such as Officer Tidman, must be prepared for, even while correcting and overseeing those already condemned by society.
