Massachusetts parole board lets man out of prison; he kills a cop

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Dominic Cinelli sat before the Massachusetts Parole Board in November 2008 and insisted that he was no longer the heroin addict who shot a security guard during an armed robbery to feed his drug habit.
"I’m new and different,’’ he said in a soft voice. “But I realize that deep inside me there is still that ugliness, and I know that I have to deal with that and control that, and I’m doing a real good job of it.’’

Wanna know how good a job?

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he fatally shot a Woburn police officer during the robbery of a Kohl’s department store. Cinelli, 57, was killed during the shootout with the officer, John Maguire, a 60-year-old father of three who was nearing retirement.

I hope he's burning in Hell right now.

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Cinelli had a lengthy criminal record for armed robberies and assaults, among other offenses, and had been in prison on the life sentences since 1976. In his early years in prison, Cinelli was a chronic disciplinary problem for correction officials and twice escaped and committed crimes.

How the hell did a guy like this get out of prison? He must be an Oscar-caliber actor to convince them he changed.

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In 1985, Cinelli was given a one-day furlough, but did not return and instead committed a series of crimes, during which he shot John Henry, a 60-year-old Mattapan security guard, after robbing a jewelry store in downtown Boston. Henry survived.

He has done this before! Did they not look at his record before they talked to him?

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In 2008, about 78 percent of parolees in Massachusetts completed parole supervision without reoffending or violating conditions, compared to the 49 percent national rate, according to federal and state statistics.

“This is a tragedy,’’ Garin said. “But it would compound the tragedy to step back on the successful parole practice that we have. It’s important not to judge the program by this one set of actions. As tragic as they are, it’s newsworthy because it is such a rarity.’’

Successful? Tell that to Officer Maguire's wife and kids. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It's one thing to release someone who didn't have a history of violent crime, or who has a very long record of staying out of trouble. This guy kept getting into trouble every chance he got. After a certain amount of trouble, it should be obvious that a person is not rehabilitatable, and they need to stay in prison. Even though he had been in prison and out of trouble for 23 years, he was a repeat offender who obviously wasn't very good at learning from his mistakes. He should have been left in prison--especially since the times he'd been out he'd committed crimes.

So much for that three-star rating from the Brady Campaign, Massachusetts.

EileenK98 wrote:

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In 2008, about 78 percent of parolees in Massachusetts completed parole supervision without reoffending or violating conditions, compared to the 49 percent national rate, according to federal and state statistics.

“This is a tragedy,’’ Garin said. “But it would compound the tragedy to step back on the successful parole practice that we have. It’s important not to judge the program by this one set of actions. As tragic as they are, it’s newsworthy because it is such a rarity.’’

Successful? Tell that to Officer Maguire's wife and kids. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I wouldn't call it a successful parole program so much as evidence of overly harsh sentencing.

Lady Anne wrote:

It's one thing to release someone who didn't have a history of violent crime, or who has a very long record of staying out of trouble. This guy kept getting into trouble every chance he got. After a certain amount of trouble, it should be obvious that a person is not rehabilitatable, and they need to stay in prison. Even though he had been in prison and out of trouble for 23 years, he was a repeat offender who obviously wasn't very good at learning from his mistakes. He should have been left in prison--especially since the times he'd been out he'd committed crimes.

And let me add to that the following observation: Governor Patrick should have fired the Parole Board en masse the day after Officer Maguire was killed.

Chris91 wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

It's one thing to release someone who didn't have a history of violent crime, or who has a very long record of staying out of trouble. This guy kept getting into trouble every chance he got. After a certain amount of trouble, it should be obvious that a person is not rehabilitatable, and they need to stay in prison. Even though he had been in prison and out of trouble for 23 years, he was a repeat offender who obviously wasn't very good at learning from his mistakes. He should have been left in prison--especially since the times he'd been out he'd committed crimes.

And let me add to that the following observation: Governor Patrick should have fired the Parole Board en masse the day after Officer Maguire was killed.

He was paroled in 2009. Many of them may have moved on.

Good point.