The eight-member Governor’s Council is considering whether they will commute the life sentence of William Allen, a Black man who has spent more than half of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
Allen, 48, has served 27 years in prison following a 1997 conviction for the murder of Purvis Bester, which Allen was present for but did not himself commit. Three weeks ago, Gov. Charlie Baker approved Allen's commutation request — the first granted for a life sentence in 25 years — and moved the final decision to the Governor's Council. If they vote in favor of commuting Allen's sentence, he could be released by July. Advocates, councilors and even Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz, whose office prosecuted the case, on Wednesday testified in support of the move.
At the hearing, several councilors referred to the night of the crimes, but said Allen's actions in the decades since swayed them toward voting in favor of his commutation. Supporters testified about how Allen volunteered for a companion program to help people with severe mental disabilities, and how he helped de-escalate potentially dangerous situations.
Allen spoke during the last hour and, unprompted, expressed his remorse before responding to councilors' questions. “There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my actions and the fact that Mr. Bester’s family had to bury their loved one,” he said, asking for a moment of silence for Bester.
In 1994, Allen and Rolando Petty drove to Bester’s Brockton apartment with a plan to rob him. Allen held several women at knifepoint in one room and demanded money, while Perry stabbed Bester in another room, which Allen said he didn't know was going to happen. While Allen refused a plea deal, Perry pled guilty to second-degree murder, served time and was released on parole in 2011.
Council member Paul DePalo, who met with Allen in prison last year and plans to vote in favor of the commutation, said that Allen, at the time, might not have understood the legal complexities of being convicted of felony murder.
The Advisory Board of Pardons, whose members are also on the Parole Board, unanimously voted for the commutation of the first-degree murder sentence of Allen back in September. They wrote in a 30-page report that Allen showed a commitment to “self-development and self-improvement.” Bester’s daughter, Leah Cole, also testified to the Parole Board in favor of his commutation, saying she acknowledged his rehabilitation.
"Mr. Allen's situation is truly unprecedented, which is why I took the time today to support his petition for commutation," said Cruz, who became Plymouth district attorney in 2001, after Allen’s conviction.
Allen did service work at Bridgewater State Hospital, and then volunteered for a companion program to help people with severe mental disabilities. Kathleen Cahill, a social worker who co-facilitated the companion program, spoke of how Allen helped a troubled young man who was physically violent with staff and other prisoners, and communicated to others through a locked door. If trouble arose, staff would call Allen.
“He was called in to assist this young man in calming down and the just the recognition that the correctional staff saw an inmate that was working in our institution as a valuable source to assist in a safety de-escalation,” she said. The man changed so much he was able to take walks, unrestrained among other prisoners, with no incident.
“Will connected with so many patients that who would have otherwise been isolated, as I said, physically from others or really just stuck in their own minds alone,” said Cahill.
Several people, including Cahill, recounted how Allen stopped another inmate from attacking a female corrections officer in 2011.
Other council members spoke favorably of Allen after reviewing his case.
“You’re gonna get this commutation because I think everyone on this board is gonna vote for you for what you did while you were in there,” said council member Robert L. Jubinville.
Jubinville is in the unique position of having represented Allen in his trial almost 30 years ago, and now sits on the Governor’s Council.
Now the eight-member council must decide whether it will commute Allen's sentence from life without parole to a sentence of life with the possibility of parole after 15 years, which he has already served. The council is also considering a commutation request for Thomas Koonce, 54, who was sentenced to life without parole for the shooting of a New Bedford man.
Allen has people lined up to support his transition if the commutation is granted.
If he is released, the plan is for Allen to live with his father, Thurston Allen, along with Thurston’s fiancée and a nephew in their home in Brockton.
Janine Carreiro-Young, a member of Brockton Interfaith Community, which has organized to support Allen’s release and life afterward, said he has an opportunity to work for a Brockton car dealership. In addition, some local barbershops have expressed interest in letting him cut hair, something he’s done for years in prison.
Peg Newman, a former prison chaplain who met Allen through his service work, plans to help him find a church and other resources.
And New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty said Allen can call for his help, too. At the hearing, he described his first Zoom with Allen.
“He said 'No matter what — whether I get out, or I don’t get out — nothing will change with my vision and how I want to help other people. I just won't change,'” recounted McCourty, who said that’s when he felt he had to be involved. “I said, 'I'm all in. I'm going to help out.’"
If the council approves the commutations on Feb. 16, Allen and Koonce will have hearings before the Parole Board, which already recommended their commutations. Allen recognizes the gravity of that decision.
“I saw on the news that the last hearing that was held for a lifer was almost 25 years ago, and I am one of the first to be here. Hope is not just in my heart. Hope is also in my back and shoulders,” he said. “I promise I will make you proud by doing good and being good.”
