BOSTON — State Senators Steven Baddour and Bruce Tarr today called for a moratorium on all Parole Board hearings, and they want the seven members of the Parole Board to resign.
Baddour, a Methuen Democrat, and Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, got 18 other senators to sign a letter to the Parole Board asking for an immediate moratorium on any further hearings conducted by the board until after the governor’s ordered investigation into the early-release decision of Dominic Cinelli, which police say led to the death of Woburn police Officer John Macguire, is complete and reviewed by the legislature, the governor, victim’s advocates and law enforcement.
“The moratorium is the first step. It’s the beginning of the end of this Parole Board, in part because of the fact that this Parole Board, going forward, has no credibility,” Baddour said. “The public has no confidence in their decision making.”
Maguire and Cinelli both died after exchanging gunfire when Cinelli attempted to rob Kohl’s in Woburn last month and Maguire tried to stop him. Police said Cinelli was a 57-year-old career criminal who was paroled despite having been sentenced to three life terms in 1986.
“Clearly there is something wrong in the parole process when someone sentenced to three terms of life can be released. We have seen the consequences of that decision and we cannot allow the chance of another one until the problems here are understood and corrective action can be taken,” Tarr said.
Tarr first referred to Cinelli’s background as “this gentleman’s background,” but then he stopped himself and referred to Cinelli’s history as “this individual’s background.”
Dozens of hearings have been scheduled for the month of January, including the hearings of three convicted murderers, according to the Parole Board’s website.
Also today, Methuen police Chief Joseph Solomon and Methuen police captains Thomas Fram and Kristopher McCarthy were among 75 police officials from around the state at a press conference where Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin called on Gov. Deval Patrick to demand the resignation of the entire parole board.
“I really think it’s an outrageous tragedy that could have been prevented,” Solomon said about Maguire’s death.
Please see tomorrow’s Eagle-Tribune for more on this story.
