CANTON – A man who was sentenced to life in prison after beating a classmate to death in Canton, Massachusetts when they were both 14 years old, has been granted parole.
Rod Matthews was convicted of second-degree murder on March 10, 1988 in the death of Shaun Ouillette. Matthews was up for parole four times over the years but was denied every time. That changed after his latest hearing on June 4, 2024. Five months later, he was granted parole on November 6. If he completes a 9-month program in lower security he will be set free.
Shaun Ouillette murder
Back in October 1986, Matthews told two classmates he “wanted to know what it was like to kill someone,” according to prosecutors. They said he chose Ouillette because he “would be easy to get to and he probably would be the least missed.” Matthews lured Ouillette to the woods to build a fort and then beat him to death with a baseball bat.
