A person who as a teen killed an “elderly” pair in a “vicious, senseless” slaying is being freed by the state’s parole board.
William Shipps again within the Eighties was sentenced to life with out parole after he was convicted of first-degree homicide for the double killing of 79-year-old John Lucey and 68-year-old Esther King.
Shipps, then 16 years previous, shot and killed the brother and sister whereas robbing their Stoughton residence on July 24, 1982.
Shipps grew to become eligible for parole following the 2013 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Courtroom’s choice in Diatchenko — which dominated that juvenile lifers have a possibility for launch.
Shipps in 2021 was denied parole following an preliminary listening to, however the Massachusetts Parole Board not too long ago granted the 59-year-old man’s launch regardless of opposition from the Norfolk DA’s workplace.
When Shipps was arrested in 1983, Stoughton Police Chief William Gross known as it “the worst murder we’ve had… It was a vicious, senseless killing of two elderly people.”
On the day of the homicide, Shipps and one other teen went into the storage of a house close to the Shipps’ household residence and stole some objects. The juveniles then broke into two automobiles close by.
Then Shipps and the teenager went into Lucey and King’s storage. Shipps later returned to the victims’ residence and broke in.
Later within the day, a member of the family discovered Lucey’s physique in his bed room and King mendacity face up in her blood-stained mattress. Lucey was pronounced useless on the scene. King was taken to an area hospital, the place she died shortly thereafter.
Norfolk ADA Michael McGee at Shipps’ parole listening to argued that the killer had proven a “lack of empathy” and mentioned he was not rehabilitated.
“For this family, these verdicts, these life sentences for at least in some way gave them justice,” McGee mentioned.
“Diatchenko was devastating to these families,” he mentioned, later including, “These parole hearings have an impact on them that is devastating.”
Shipps apologized at his listening to earlier this 12 months.
“The trauma, the pain and the loss that you suffered at my hands is irreparable,” he mentioned. “I’m deeply sorry for having inflicted such trauma upon you.
“I not only robbed you of your lives, but I robbed you of all the experiences your lives had ahead,” Shipps added.
Shipps has served greater than 42 years behind bars. Based on the parole board, he has continued program involvement and superior his participation in Restorative Justice and the Youthful Coalition.
Shipps has invested in vocational coaching, and works as a clerk within the library. A physician advised the board that Shipps has been rehabilitated and is at a “low to non-cognizable risk for violent offense recidivism.”
The board wrote, “The Board concludes that William Shipps has demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.”
