A murderer who beat a paraplegic to death, a rapist who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, and a robber who helped kill a cab driver were all denied parole in the last week.
The Massachusetts Parole Board, which has been facing criticism from DAs and others for freeing killers, refused to release this trio of lifers — Kurt Kegler, Wilrose LaPierre, and Ricardo Reyes.
Convicted murderer
Kegler when he was 28 years old beat Paul Rober, a paraplegic, to death in Plymouth.
The day after the murder in 1986, Kegler and his girlfriend told police that they had seen an acquaintance beat Rober to death in a deserted shack on Route 44. After police noticed discrepancies in their stories, Kegler admitted to murdering Rober.
He told police that Rober was trying to have sexual relations with his girlfriend, which set him off. He admitted that he hit Rober in the back with a clenched fist. He then slapped him in the face, and picked up a white birch log; he held the log over Rober’s head and swung it, hitting him in the back of the head.
He hit him three or four more times, while Rober was pleading with him to stop. He then pulled Rober, who was in a wheelchair, down to the foot of a hill by pulling on a rope that Kegler had tied around his neck and mouth.
An acquaintance helped Kegler by holding Rober on the ground, while Kegler jerked him up and down with the rope around his mouth and neck — until they heard gurgling noises.
Kegler, who has been incarcerated for 40 years, is now 67.
In its decision, the Parole Board noted that Kegler has yet to complete any programs that would be conducive to his rehabilitation, and he has maintained an “adversarial relationship” with the Department of Correction.
“Our office applauds the Parole Board for not allowing Kegler to be released and for scheduling his next hearing for 2031,” Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz said in a statement. “His clear lack of initiative and engagement with rehabilitative services demonstrate that he is not fit to reenter society.”
Convicted rapist
A pair of siblings — a 14-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother — were walking home from their friend’s house in March of 1979 when they were approached by LaPierre. The 32-year-old man concocted a story to draw the children closer to his car.
LaPierre then physically forced the children to go into the Bolton woods with him. He bound the girl’s hands behind her and gagged her.
LaPierre raped her while her brother lay beside her. He then made both children count to 100 and fled.
At the time of the offense, LaPierre was on parole on a 3-5 year sentence for rape, and three concurrent sentences of 4-15 years for assault with intent to rape. LaPierre was on parole for only nine months before he committed this sexual assault of a child.
The Parole Board noted that he completed the Sex Offender Treatment Program in 2022. However, he “still has not achieved sufficient rehabilitation.”
“The Board has continued concerns regarding Mr. LaPierre’s statements from his 2022 hearing regarding his triggers and behaviors,” the board added. “Mr. LaPierre has been convicted of multiple rapes, and the Board finds he has not yet reached a level of rehabilitation such that he will not re-offend.”
Cab robber and killer
Reyes when 20 years old in 1997 when he and his co-defendant robbed and killed 30-year-old Juan Vasquez, a taxi driver in Methuen.
The case was unsolved for 2.5 years until investigations led to Reyes and his co-defendant, Israel Perez.
They both told police that they had talked about needing money. They hailed a cab, armed with a .22 caliber weapon, with the intent of robbing the driver.
They pointed the gun at the back of Vasquez’s head and demanded his money. During the robbery, Perez shot Vasquez in the back of the head.
The two men fled the taxi and were picked up by friends. They later went to a local bar and sold the murder weapon.
The Parole Board in the past had urged Reyes to “gain further insight into his mental illness, the importance of complying with medication and treatment, and given (the) ICE detainer, to establish a re-entry plan in the Dominican Republic that will meet all his needs.”
“The Board notes that he has made progress with both his insight and compliance with treatment,” the Parole Board wrote, but later added, “The majority of the Board remains concerned with the length of time he has reached stabilization and believes a longer period of stabilization is necessary before release.”
The board also remains concerned that his release plan is “uncertain.”
“… The Board needs more confirmation that his medication and mental health needs will be met,” the Parole Board added. “The Board encourages him to have a clear understanding of his diagnosis, medications that are beneficial to him and to firm up his care and treatment in USA and Dominican Republic.”
