A recent episode of the podcast “True Crime All the Time” explored the case of Rod Matthews , who in 1986 murdered his high school classmate Shaun Ouillette in Canton. Both boys were 14 at the time.
Matthews, now 51, was convicted of second-degree murder in 1988. He was the first juvenile tried as an adult in Massachusetts.
Matthews has been denied parole four times . His last hearing before the Parole Board was in June 2021. He is eligible for another hearing later this year.
Using court materials and news reports, podcast hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson trace the history of the case, pausing to comment on the facts and people involved.
The podcast says that before the murder, Matthews exhibited an obsession with setting fires and a curiosity about what it would feel like to kill someone. Matthews would also place firecrackers in the mouths of fish and light them, the hosts said.
The podcast says Matthews considered other victims before choosing Ouillette because he was new to town, had few friends and, Matthews thought, would be less missed than other people.