A prosecutor from western Massachusetts has joined with the families of murder victims in calling for changes in the state’s medical parole law.
Maureen Regan said it is traumatic and painful to know that John Stote, who killed her father John Regan 27 years ago, was given a medical parole to go to a nursing home rather than serve out his sentence of life in prison without parole.
“This is the definition of a travesty of justice,” Maureen Regan said.
Stote, who was convicted of murder in 1997 for fatally stabbing Regan during an argument over a business deal, has received a medical parole twice, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s office. He was granted medical parole in 2021 after getting COVID-19. He recovered and was returned to prison. Claiming to have permanently disabling medical problems, Stote applied again for medical parole, was turned down by the state’s corrections commissioner, but then was granted release by a judge.
Regan said she believes Stote, who is 62-years-old, remains a danger to society.
“He’s unrepentant and he’s not rehabilitated,” she said. “He could be the new roommate of any of our elder or ailing friends are relaives.”
Hampden DA Anthony Gulluni said the medical parole law enacted in 2018 as part of a sweeping package of criminal justice reforms is poorly written and is being exploited by convicted murderers looking to circumvent punishment for their crime.
“Lawful and just murder sentences must have finality,” Gulluni said. “We encourage a review by our legislature and the governor to correct and amend the statute to maintain justice and decency for victims’ families and our community.”
Of 47 petitions for medical parole filed by state prison inmates convicted in Hampden County, Gulluni said, 21 were from convicted murders.
Joining the Regan family and Gulluni in urging the legislature to exempt “lifers” from eligibility for medical parole were relatives of two other murder victims – Joseph Brodeur, who was stabbed to death by his wife in 2004 and Joanne Welch, who was murdered by her boyfriend in 1983. Their killers’ petitions for release for medical reasons have to date been turned down, according to the DA’s office.
Former State Senator James Welch, a cousin of Joanne Welch, said he tried to get the medical parole law changed in 2020, but was unsuccessful.
“We have to endure,” Welch said. “We have to continue to make the case that this loophole needs to be closed, needs to be fixed.”
Proponents of medical parole say it is compassionate and saves state taxpayers’ the enormous expense of paying for end-of-life medical bills.
“The idea here is a very practical one,” said Elizabeth Matos, Executive Director of Prisoners Legal Services.
She said it makes no sense to exclude people with life sentences from medical parole since these inmates will grow old in prison and wind up being the most expensive to care for.
“One of the reasons it passed is because it had widespread support from sheriffs and other corrections folks because this is so costly for them.” Matos said.
She said it is disingenuous to say the medical parole law has a “loophole.”
A bill to exclude people convicted of murder from medical parole has been filed in the Massachusetts House, and according to Gulluni, referred to a study committee.
