Board rules Fall River man convicted of murder to be released from prison

A Fall River man who was convicted of murder will soon be released from prison after a decision by the parole board.

On June 12, 2001, after a jury trial in Bristol Superior Court, Corie Stokes was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Stokes was also found guilty of armed home invasion and was sentenced to a concurrent term of 20-25 years imprisonment, and unlawful possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to a concurrent term of 1-2 years imprisonment. A charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery was filed. On September 10, 2014, in Barnstable Superior Court, Stokes’ life sentence was revised to life with the possibility of parole. On the same date, Stokes’ armed home invasion sentence was revised to 0-15 years and to be served concurrently with his life sentence. Stokes was 17-years-old at the time of the offenses.

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. Further, the Court decided that such juvenile offenders must be given a parole hearing. Accordingly, on August 29, 2014 Corie Stokes was scheduled to appear before the Parole Board for an initial hearing, which he postponed and his initial hearing occurred on June 13, 2019.

Stokes appeared before the Parole Board for a review hearing on June 3, 2021, and was represented Attorneys Seth Orkand, Andrew Dulberg, Rachel Gargiulo, Renna Ayyash, and Mark Gordon. This was Stokes’s second appearance before the Board, having been denied in 2019.

According to a released decision and after going over all facts in the case, including the nature of the underlying offense, the age of the inmate at the time of offense, criminal record, institutional record, the inmate’s testimony at the hearing, and the views of the public as expressed at the hearing or in written submissions to the Board, the board concluded by unanimous vote earlier this month that Stokes is a suitable candidate for parole. Reserve to Long Term Residential Program, but not before six months in lower security.

Stokes shot and killed 39-year-old Cecil Smith, Jr. and has served approximately 22 years in prison. According to the Board, Stokes has availed himself of all available programming and completed his GED in 2016. He has also held a number of leadership positions in several organizations. The Board also considered the expert opinion of Dr. Frank DiCataldo who indicated that Stokes is a compelling candidate for parole and provided recommendations with which Stokes agrees, specifically, counseling to address symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Stokes’ age and juvenile attributes were considered in the Board’s decision.