The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has unanimously upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Richard Holbrook Jr., closing out a two-decade legal saga over the 2006 stabbing death of Robert Auger in his Brockton home. The ruling, issued Friday and authored by Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian, affirms the denial of Holbrook's amended second motion for a new trial.
Auger, 42, was killed in 2006 inside his Brockton home, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, as reported by MassLive. Prosecutors said Holbrook stabbed Auger to death and fled the scene in his truck. A Plymouth Superior Court jury convicted Holbrook of first-degree murder in 2009 under two separate theories — extreme atrocity or cruelty, and felony murder — according to Justia Law. Holbrook, now 50, was sentenced to life in prison.
Grand jury indictments charging Holbrook with murder and related offenses were formally returned in Plymouth Superior Court on January 29, 2007, according to court records. When investigators interviewed him days after the November 2006 killing, Holbrook maintained his innocence, claiming he was homeless at the time and had last visited Auger's home two days before the murder to do paid yard work. Prosecutors argued Holbrook killed Auger.
A Waterlogged Computer Became the Case's Focal Point
Police responding to the scene found Auger's computer and webcam submerged in water inside a bathtub, and Massachusetts investigators later created a forensic image of the damaged hard drive. At trial, prosecutors told jurors the hard drive contained nothing of evidentiary value. The emails later became part of Holbrook's argument that evidence had been wrongly withheld.
Holbrook's trial strategy had centered on pointing to that same former roommate, Sean Meagher, as a potential third-party culprit. He argued police failed to adequately investigate Meagher. The emails were also part of Holbrook's postconviction challenge.
A 2019 Remand Set the Stage for Friday's Ruling
The case had already made one trip through the SJC. In 2019, the court vacated a lower court's denial of Holbrook's postconviction motion and sent the case back to Plymouth Superior Court for an evidentiary hearing.
The SJC later considered Holbrook's appeal of the denial of his new-trial motion. In the 2019 case, defense attorney Brian J. Kelly represented Holbrook, while Assistant District Attorney Carolyn A. Burbine represented the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. The appeal concerned Holbrook's request for a new trial.
Cruz Says Conviction Reflects Flaws in Holbrook's Arguments
In the end, the SJC denied Holbrook's request for a new trial, closing the door on his postconviction challenges. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said he was grateful to the court for recognizing flaws in Holbrook's arguments and affirming the first-degree murder conviction, adding that keeping Holbrook behind bars benefits the community.
The ruling leaves Holbrook's first-degree murder conviction in place despite his postconviction challenge. Holbrook's saga joins other Brockton-area cases the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office has pursued in recent months, including a mother's new trial win.
