The battle over the future of a man convicted as a teen for the brutal murder of a 15-year-old Massachusetts cheerleader has reopened wounds for her family, three decades later; a man they say should remain locked away soils the state parole board's docket. Richard Baldwin, now in his mid-40s, seeks parole from his life sentence without the possibility of parole, for the 1992 murder of Beth Brodie – a crime that shattered the small town of Groveland and forever changed the Brodie family.
In 1994, Baldwin at just 16 years old, lured Brodie to a friend's house and beat her to death with a metal baseball bat after she rebuffed his romantic interest, as per court documentation – the aftermath left a community in shock, and Brodie's family grappling with the weight of their loss. Baldwin's conviction initially appeared to assure that he would spend his life behind bars, however, a 2013 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court deemed mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional, sparking anew the Brodie family's campaign against his potential release, according to NBC Boston and MassLive.
Baldwin's likelihood of parole is undetermined, but his mere presence at the hearing revives trauma for the victim's siblings. Dawn Santino, Beth's sister, expressed her dread at the prospect of seeing him: "Being in that same space, I mean, it's been 30 years since we've seen him, or listened to him," she told WCVB. "It's going to be one of the hardest things I've done."
The hearing elicits passionate pleas from a family left only with memories of a life snatched away prematurely. This sentiment is echoed in a letter-writing campaign and online petitions aimed at swaying parole board members and public opinion.
The parole board will mull over Baldwin's prison conduct, the impassioned testimonies from Brodie's loved ones, and the potential threat to public safety but the decision looms uncertain with arguments from both sides and, while Brodie’s family and friends have expressed their vehement opposition through various channels; Vince DeMore, an attorney and appellate expert, suggested the parole board is not insensitive to these pleas, mentioning "I think the parole board places great weight on the feelings of the families of these victims for whom there is no 2nd chance," his statement to WCVB. The date for a determination remains at large – lingering like a specter over the community that has not yet forgotten its lost youth and a family clutching justice for their Beth as the only solace against the unyielding march of time and law.
