Fall River man convicted in city murder granted parole with conditions after being released on two other occasions

A Fall River man convicted of a city murder as a juvenile has been granted parole with conditions after being previously released on two other occasions.

According to the Massachusetts Parole Board, on August 9, 1999, Corie Stokes and a co-defendant entered the home of Cecil Smith in Fall River. The two men were armed with firearms and intended to rob Smith. Smith was fatally shot during the robbery. A witness later testified that Stokes admitted to being the shooter and hiding the gun. Two weapons were located near the scene of the crime.

On June 12, 2001, following a jury trial in Bristol Superior Court, Stokes was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Stokes was also found guilty of armed home invasion, for which he was sentenced to a concurrent term of 20-25 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to a concurrent term of 1-2 years. A charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery was filed.

On December 24, 2013, the Supreme Judicial Court issued a decision in Diatchenko v. District Attorney for Suffolk District & Others in which the Court determined that the statutory provisions mandating life without the possibility of parole are invalid as applied to juveniles convicted of first-degree murder and decided that such juvenile offenders must be given a parole hearing. On September 10, 2014, Stokes’ life sentence was revised to life with the possibility of parole. On the same date, Stokes’ armed home invasion sentence was revised to a term of 10-15 years to be served concurrently with his life sentence. Stokes was 17 years old at the time of the offenses.

Stokes was first paroled in 2022, but was returned to custody for violating the terms of his parole in January 2023. Stokes was re-paroled in December 2023, but was again returned to custody for violating the terms of his parole in January 2024. Stokes, now 43-years-old, appeared before the Board for a review hearing on September 19, 2024, and the Board released their decision on January 7th, 2025, to not grant parole. Another review hearing was held at the end of 2025 and this month, the Board granted parole with conditions.

On 1/16/2023, Stokes Parole Officer learned that a warrant had been issued by the Haverhill Police Department following a complaint that he refused to return a vehicle to the owner. On 1/16/2023, the Massachusetts State Police arrested Stokes. He was subsequently charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and receiving a stolen motor vehicle. At the time of his arrest, it is also noted that a person with a criminal record was also in the vehicle. Stokes was returned to custody on 1/17/2023. Both charges have since been dismissed. The Board did not state what led to Stokes violating his probation for the 2nd time.

The Board notes that since his return to custody, Stokes has re-invested in programming to address his needs and has established additional supports to assist him with re-entry. The Board emphasized the need to continue to invest in services to assist with establishing healthy relationships, particularly in his interpersonal relationships. He appeared to accept the Board’s recommendations upon his return to custody and demonstrated progress and a commitment to this need area. Stokes now has additional job training opportunities and is committed to engaging in community organizations addressing accountability. The Board considered the testimony of Stokes’ friends and family in support of parole. The Board concluded by unanimous decision that Stokes has demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society. 

Special conditions of his parole include: Waive work for 2 weeks; Supervise for drugs, testing in accordance with Agency policy; Supervise for liquor abstinence, testing in accordance with Agency policy; Report to assigned MA Parole Office on day of release; No contact with Stephanie Cook; No contact with victim(s); No contact with victim’s family; Must have mental health counseling one time per week for interpersonal relationships; CRJ or Sober Home.