A Hyde Park man who was convicted in a pizza delivery driver’s killing and was sentenced to life without parole less than 12 years ago has been granted parole.
The Massachusetts Parole Board recently OK’d the release of 35-year-old convicted murderer Michel St. Jean, who was 20 years old when he and two others were charged in the slaying of 58-year-old Richel Nova.
This decision to grant St. Jean’s freedom comes after the Parole Board OK’d the release of 18 convicted murderers earlier this month.
St. Jean and his co-defendants — Alexander Gallett and Yamiley Mathurin — lured Nova to his death on Sept. 1, 2010, according to prosecutors.
That evening, the trio took a bus to a vacant house in Hyde Park. Using a neighbor’s phone, they called Domino’s Pizza and placed an order for delivery.
They also asked if the delivery driver would have change for large bills.
Nova arrived with the order and was escorted up the house’s rear staircase. Nova — who was working a second job as a delivery driver to provide for his family — had a little more than $100 on him when he was robbed and butchered.
Five minutes later, St. Jean and his co-defendants left the house with a pizza box and drove away in Nova’s vehicle. The vehicle was later found abandoned in a parking lot.
In and around the vehicle, officers recovered a pizza box, empty bleach, and rubbing alcohol bottles. The label on the outside of the pizza box listed the delivery address as the vacant house, and had St. Jean’s phone number listed as the callback number.
Officers responding to the vacant house found Nova unresponsive. His pant pockets were turned inside out, and he had visible stabbing puncture wounds. Nova did not survive his injuries.
Officers discovered significant forensic evidence implicating St. Jean and his co-defendants. Fingerprints and DNA were found at the vacant house, on Nova’s body and car, and on the pizza boxes. St. Jean and his co-defendants also made inculpatory statements when interviewed by police.
“Richel Nova was a hardworking man making an honest living to provide for his family when he was preyed upon by three vicious thugs,” former BPD Commissioner Ed Davis said in the days after the 2010 slaying.
“For a small amount of money, these suspects committed unspeakable acts of violence while showing Mr. Nova no mercy,” Davis added at the time.
Four years after the killing, St. Jean in 2014 was convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He was also sentenced to a concurrent term of 5 to 7 years for armed robbery and a concurrent term of 1 to 3 years for breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, which was deemed served.
Then in 2024, St. Jean became parole eligible after the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Mattis — in which the SJC ruled that “emerging adult” offenders who were 18 to 20 at the time cannot be sentenced to life without parole.
St. Jean as a result was re-sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years. He was 20 years old at the time of the offense, so he became eligible for parole at 35.
St. Jean appeared before the Parole Board for an initial hearing last year, and he was represented by well-known local attorney Rosemary Scapicchio.
“Mr. St. Jean began to invest in rehabilitative programming prior to the Mattis decision,” the Parole Board wrote in its ruling. “He has minimal disciplinary reports. This was his first incarceration, no prior record.
“Mr. St. Jean acknowledged the brutality of this offense and, although not responsible for stabbing the victim, his actions and inactions contributed to the death of the victim,” the board added. “Mr. St. Jean earned his GED and is participating in community college courses. Mr. St. Jean has also acquired employment skills and is currently in the NEADS Program.”
St. Jean does not have a substance use disorder or mental illness, the board wrote.
He has also established a release plan to address his re-entry needs, and he has a support system to assist him with transitioning to the community.
“The Board considered the testimony of an educator, a social worker, and Mr. St. Jean’s family and friends in support of parole,” the Parole Board added. “The Board considered the testimony of Mr. Nova’s family member and Suffolk County ADA Montez Haywood in opposition to parole. The Board concludes that Michel St. Jean has demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.”
Earlier this month, the Parole Board OK’d the release of 18 convicted murderers, including 13 “emerging adult” offenders who were initially sentenced to life without parole.
The parolee list featured a man who killed his girlfriend’s 22-month-old daughter, and a first-degree murderer who fatally shot a restaurant owner during a robbery.
Meanwhile, the Parole Board earlier this month denied parole to 12 convicted murderers, including six in the “emerging adult” offender classification.
The 2024 SJC ruling made more than 200 convicts eligible for parole hearings.
