After nearly six decades, a man convicted of murdering a teenager in 1967 has been granted parole, a decision that has caused a stir within the Massachusetts legal community. Roger Francis, who was 20 at the time of the crime, was convicted of fatally shooting 15-year-old Marialice Pike in Hingham. According to The Boston Globe, Francis fled to Canada immediately after the murder, where he was eventually apprehended by authorities. The car he abandoned contained evidence linking him to the crime, including blood stains that matched Pike’s blood type and bullet fragments correlating to those found in her body, as reported by MassLive.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz expressed his discontent with the parole board’s decision, stating, "I am outraged that once again, the state Parole Board has chosen to grant parole to a murder defendant," in a statement obtained by The Boston Globe. On the other side, Francis’s attorney, Melissa Celli, cited legal changes that prompted re-evaluation of the case. "In so doing, they recognized that even people who committed violent crimes at those young ages have the potential to rehabilitate themselves," Celli said in regard to a Supreme Judicial Court ruling. This ruling deemed life sentences without parole for defendants aged between 18 and 20 unconstitutional and has significantly impacted Francis's sentence.
Francis, who is now 78 years old, served a total of 44 years in prison. During his incarceration, the parole board emphasized his "extraordinarily positive adjustment" with no disciplinary reports and cited his trustworthy positions held within the system. His furloughs in the community at Medfield State Hospital and extensive psychiatric treatment were also mentioned as factors in the decision to grant his release. A forensic evaluation concluded that Francis has a very low risk of reoffending, as per MassLive. Despite his tumultuous past, these points contributed to a unanimous decision by the parole board to grant his release, to the dismay of some and relief of others.
Once out, Francis will be required to comply with several conditions, such as abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and participating in mental health treatment. He's also restricted from making any contact with Pike’s family.
