Bristol County man released on parole three times, denied parole in death of 14-year-old

A local man has been denied parole after being convicted in the murder of a Bristol County teen.

The Board has ruled that Richard Hazard of Taunton has been denied parole.

According to the Parole Board, on April 15, 1994, at about 3:00 p.m., Scott Rose, Hazard (then 28-years-old), Timothy Reaves, and Michael Coull went to Magnet Park (outside a New Bedford housing project) in Rose’s Lincoln Town Car. Hazard went up to an 18-year-old man and asked if he had any dope (heroin) for sale. Hazard and the 18-year-old man then walked toward Rose, Reaves, and Coull, all of whom were waiting near the Lincoln. An altercation ensued, and a witness heard Rose say, “We’ll be back.” 

Two hours later, at about 5:00 p.m., the four men appeared at a house in Taunton, where Rose asked one of his friends to borrow a gun. The friend handed the gun and some green shells to Rose. At about 7:00 p.m., the 18-year-old man was in Magnet Park with his 14-year-old brother Daniel and some other friends. The brothers were leaning on a white car, talking. The 18-year-old man heard tires screeching and, when he looked up, saw the Lincoln driving past. The driver’s side faced toward him. He saw a big pistol coming out of the rear driver side window, heard shots, and saw flashes from both driver side windows. He saw Rose, the driver, leaning back in his seat as he drove. The 18-year-old man and Daniel started to run when they heard the shots. As they took off, the 18-year-old man was struck in the leg, and Daniel was struck in the heart. 

After an extensive chase, Hazard and the others were apprehended in Taunton. At the time of the shooting, Hazard was the front seat passenger in the Lincoln and was observed with a shotgun in his hand. Daniel had been shot with a 9mm gun, which had been in Reaves’ possession. 

On September 11, 1995, after a jury trial in Bristol Superior Court, Hazard was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Correia and sentenced to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole. That same day, he was also convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. Hazard was sentenced to serve a concurrent term of 3 to 5 years for the firearm offense and a consecutive 3-to-5-year term for the assault. Parole was denied after an initial hearing in 2010 and after his review hearing in 2013. Parole was granted in 2017, and Hazard was returned to custody after a parole revocation in 2022. Parole was granted again in 2023, and he was returned to custody after another parole violation that same year. Parole was granted a third time in 2024, and he was returned to custody after another parole revocation that same year. 

Hazard appeared before the Board after a revocation of his parole. The Board remains concerned with regard to Hazard’s candor and his inability to establish appropriate boundaries. Hazard is high risk on the LS/CMI risk assessment tool. The Board heard testimony from Deborah Butler, LICSW in support of parole. The Board concluded that Hazard has not demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.