Michael Collins, convicted of second-degree murder in the 2006 shooting death of Myles Lawton during a $38,000 drug transaction, has been granted parole after nearly two decades behind bars. The Massachusetts Parole Board voted to free him following a hearing in the spring, with Lawton's son testifying against his release.
Collins was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to MassLive. The killing took place in December 2006, when Collins met Lawton and another man at a Boston apartment for what was supposed to be a drug deal. The purpose of the meeting, per the outlet's report, was to show Collins $38,000 in cash that was to be used for the transaction.
Instead, Collins returned to the apartment with a gun and demanded the cash. He hit Lawton with the weapon and shot him in the back of the head, killing him, the report states. When the other man in the room tried to call for help, Collins shot him too, according to parole documents cited in the same account.
Jury Convicted Collins in 2009
A jury convicted Collins on murder charges in June 2009, along with armed assault with intent to murder, MassLive's report notes. He became eligible for parole in 2023, but the board denied his release at that first hearing. Collins went before the board again on March 31 of this year, and the panel ultimately voted to free him.
On Sept. 17, the state's parole board formally voted to grant his release, per parole documents referenced in the outlet's coverage. The Boston Herald reported the decision came down to a 4-2 vote among board members, one of three convicted killers the board voted to release that month. Lawton's son testified in opposition to granting Collins parole, the Herald reported.
Restorative Justice Work and Conditions of Release
In explaining the decision, the board cited Collins' work with restorative justice programming while incarcerated. The report also notes he is working toward earning a degree from Boston College, though it is unclear whether that degree has been completed.
As conditions of his release, Collins will be subject to electronic monitoring for six months and will undergo drug and alcohol testing, the outlet's report states. Massachusetts law allows those convicted of second-degree murder to receive a life sentence with parole eligibility after a minimum term set by the court, under General Laws Chapter 265, Section 2, with eligibility timing further governed by Chapter 127, Section 133A.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Parole Grants
Collins' case comes amid a wave of parole decisions involving Massachusetts murder convicts. The state's parole board had approved the release of 39 people originally sentenced to life without parole who became eligible under a court ruling, while denying parole to 12 others, according to the Boston Herald's earlier reporting. That figure represented a 76% release rate across 51 decisions involving so-called emerging-adult cases, the Herald reported.
More than 200 people statewide were eligible for parole consideration under that same ruling, according to reporting from Boston.com, which noted the board still had 159 additional decisions pending. Prosecutors have criticized the pace of releases tied to the ruling, per the same report.
