Soffen pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the second degree in the 1972 killings of Gary Dube, of Agawam, and Stephen Perrot, of Springfield.
Convicted double murderer Francis Soffen gestures during a parole hearing in 1998.The Massachusetts Parole Board has denied parole to Francis Soffen, saying he has an extraordinary criminal history that marks him as an especially dangerous person.
According to a copy of the decision, the board voted 7-0 to deny parole for Soffen, with another review set for five years from now. Soffen, 72, formerly of Ludlow, pleaded for his release during a parole board hearing on Aug. 19, saying he now is a Christian and ashamed of killing two people.
The board had denied parole for Soffen on 10 previous occasions, most recently 2006. Soffen has been in jail for 39 years.
"Soffen has repeatedly lied to the parole board in his hearings," said the decision signed today by Joshua Wall, chairman of the parole board. "His disciplinary record in prison is poor and he is not participating in rehabilitative programs. There is no basis to conclude that Francis Soffen is rehabilitated, and his parole is, therefore, denied."
Soffen had pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the second degree in the 1972 killings of Gary J. Dube, 24, of Agawam, and Stephen J. Perrot of Springfield, 28.
Soffen was involved in a series of masked armed robberies and sought to kill the two men because they knew of his participation in the robberies and were cooperating with police, according to the decision.
A sister of Dube, Bonnie J. Dube Clark, of Agawam, said today she was elated with the decision.
"I don't feel he deserves to have freedom," she said. "He murdered two people execution-style in cold blood."
She said she is hopeful that Soffen will die in prison before his next parole hearing in five years. She said Soffen showed no remorse during his hearing in August.
She said she wanted to thank people who wrote letters in opposition to Soffen's parole and also Hampden Assistant District Attorney Diane M. Dillon, who opposed parole for Soffen.