A man who, as a teen, killed an elderly pair in a “vicious, senseless” slaying is being freed by the state’s parole board.
William Shipps was sentenced to life without parole in the 1980s after being convicted of first-degree murder for the double killing of 79-year-old John Lucey and 68-year-old Esther King. Shipps, then 16 years old, shot and killed the brother and sister while robbing their Stoughton home on July 24, 1982.
Shipps became eligible for parole following the 2013 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in *Diatchenko*, which ruled that juvenile lifers must have an opportunity for release. Although Shipps was denied parole in an initial hearing in 2021, the Massachusetts Parole Board has recently granted his release despite opposition from the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.
At the time of Shipps’ arrest in 1983, Stoughton Police Chief William Gross described the crime as “the worst murder we’ve had. It was a vicious, senseless killing of two elderly people.”
On the day of the murder, Shipps and another teen first went into the garage of a home near the Shipps’ family residence and stole some items. The juveniles then broke into two nearby cars. Later, Shipps and the other teen entered the garage of Lucey and King’s home. Shipps subsequently returned to the victims’ house and broke in.
Later that day, a family member discovered Lucey’s body in his bedroom and found King lying face up in her blood-stained bed. Lucey was pronounced dead at the scene, while King was rushed to a local hospital, where she died shortly afterward.
At Shipps’ parole hearing, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Michael McGee argued that Shipps had shown a “lack of empathy” and was not rehabilitated. “For this family, these verdicts, these life sentences for at least in some way gave them justice,” McGee said. “*Diatchenko* was devastating to these families,” he added, noting, “These parole hearings have an impact on them that is devastating.”
Shipps offered an apology during his hearing earlier this year. “The trauma, the pain and the loss that you suffered at my hands is irreparable,” he said. “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.”
Having served more than 42 years behind bars, Shipps has continued to engage in programs such as Restorative Justice and the Youthful Coalition. He has completed vocational training and works as a clerk in the prison library.
A doctor who evaluated Shipps informed the parole board that he has been rehabilitated and poses a “low to non-cognizable risk for violent offense recidivism.”
The parole board concluded, “William Shipps has demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.”
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/09/massachusetts-man-who-killed-elderly-pair-in-vicious-slaying-as-a-teenager-has-been-granted-parole/