Fall River man convicted of fatally shooting woman in the head could be released in 7+ years due to SJC decision

A Fall River man has seen his prison sentence for murder reduced in Fall River Superior Court.

According to the State of Massachusetts and a Supreme Court decision, on September 29, 2012, Brandyn Lepage reportedly shot and killed 31-year-old Aja Pascual in her car.

At 1:23 p.m. the Fall River police were dispatched to Cherry Street where they found the victim shot in the head in what was described as a drug deal gone wrong.

The victim’s pants pockets had been turned inside out and a package containing cocaine was discovered beneath her body. Another package of cocaine was later found inside the victim’s bra.

After a jury trial in June of 2016, Lepage was convicted of murder in the first degree on the theory of felony-murder. He was sentenced to life without parole.

Due to a 2024 Massachusetts SJC ruling, Lepage has become parole eligible because he was an emerging adult (20 years old) at the time he committed first-degree murder.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared that sentencing individuals aged 18, 19, or 20 at the time of the offense to life in prison without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional under the state’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

On Monday, Lepage received a revised sentence of life with the possibility of parole in 20 years.

The updated sentence means that Lepage is eligible for parole in 7 years.