When Jeanie Quinn left her Canton apartment Tuesday morning, she passed by her sign that reads “Every little thing is gonna be alright,” for her—it turned out to be true.
“The phone rang and I looked at the phone and said ‘it’s the parole board,’” said Quinn. “They said the parole board had just handed down the decision and that Rod Matthews was denied his parole.”
Thirty years ago, a then 14-year-old Rod Matthews, beat her 14-year-old son, Shaun Ouillette, to death with a baseball bat.
Matthews’ said he wanted to feel what it felt like to kill someone.
“He’s dangerous…he’s dangerous,” said Quinn.
Matthews was the first underage person in Massachusetts to be tried as an adult and was convicted of second degree murder.
He’s been eligible for parole over the years, and every time Jeanie Quinn shows up and stands up to him.
“You took my son but not my title,” said Quinn. “I am mom. I am still here. I live and I breathe and I am Shaun’s voice,” she added.
During Matthews’ parole hearing in March, he went before the parole board and cried.
“As sick as it sounds, I had to prove I could murder him,” said Matthews in the hearing.
He said he is a changed man and deserves his freedom.
Quinn offered him forgiveness but never thought he had the right to get out of prison.
The parole board agreed on Tuesday.
“It was like somebody took a weight off my chest, a hundred pounds,” said Quinn.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)