Convicted Killer Granted Parole in Landmark Mass. Ruling

A convicted murderer was granted parole Thursday in a landmark decision that will likely affect dozens of murder cases involving juveniles.

The state's Parole Board voted 6-0 to release Frederick Christian from prison, the Boston Globe reported.

Christian, 37, was sentenced to life when he was 17 after he watched his friend shoot two Brockton men to death in 1994.

Christian had his parole hearing on May 29. Joseph Donovan, also convicted as a juvenile and sentenced to life, had his parole hearing that same day. Both have been in prison for more than two decades. 

In December, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled teenagers sentenced to life in prison should have a shot at parole.

"Because the brain of a juvenile is not fully developed ... a judge cannot find with confidence that a particular offender, at that point in time, is irretrievably depraved," the court wrote.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said he was "shocked" by the Parole Board's decision, arguing that Christian conspired to commit the murders.

Cruz said Christian has had 31 disciplinary reports—the most recent being in 2012.

"It is clear the defendant didn’t change his conduct until he had something to gain," Cruz said in a statement.

Thursday's ruling could also affect the case of Philip Chism, the 14-year-old Danvers native charged with raping and killing his high school teacher last year.

Do you think teenagers should be exempt from life sentences? Share your opinion in the comments.