After shooting three men in the head at the age of 19, a Massachusetts man has been granted parole after refraining from violence for the past 27 years.
On May 25, 1994, 18-year-old Carlos Araujo, his brother, 19-year-old Manuel Araujo and 25-year-old Kepler Desir drove from Boston to Brockton to pick up 19-year-old Russell Horton and Frederick Christian.
Once in the car, Horton said they were going to rob some drug dealers and showed a gun. None of the other men were armed, officials said.
The men parked on a dead-end street, and Horton and Christian left the car. They returned five minutes later, stating that they had been unable to complete the robbery.
Horton then told the men to drive to a nearby school parking lot since they were in a “crime watch” area. At the parking lot, Horton shot Carlos Araujo, Manuel Araujo and Desir in the head. Carlos Araujo survived the shooting and played dead. Horton then told Christian to search the men’s pockets.
After the shooting, Horton told a witness that he had “smoked” three men.
Officials said Horton needed money and thought Desir had a large amount of cash on him on the night of the murder.
Horton stood trial in Plymouth County Superior Court. On June 23, 1998, he was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Dec. 21, 1998, while incarcerated, Horton assaulted a correctional officer. On Dec. 12, 2013, Horton pleaded guilty to one count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, receiving a sentence of 1 year to 1 year and a day to be served from and after the life sentence.
In January 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Mattis that sentencing people, ages 18 through 20 at the time of their offense, to life without the possibility of parole was unconstitutional and amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Massachusetts was the first state in the country to transform the law, experts said.
“Essentially, the brains of what we are calling ‘late adolescents’ or ‘emerging adults’ function very much like juveniles,” Northampton attorney Paul Rudof, one of the lawyers who successfully challenged life sentences for individuals aged 18 to 20, told The Republican.
There were 210 cases that fell into the Mattis decision across Massachusetts, including Horton.
He went in front of the parole board for the first time on July 17.
Horton, now 50, has served 31 years and began investing in self-development before the Mattis decision. The parole board noted he has been sober for 32 years and has had no violence in 27 years.
“Mr. Horton has invested in meaningful rehabilitation and has demonstrated insight and remorse for his actions,” the parole board wrote.
Two board members voted to deny parole with a review in two years, and one member was unable to attend the hearing. However, the remaining three members voted for parole.
On Jan. 20, he was granted parole with a 30-day waiting period before release.
