Former Massachusetts corrections officer denied parole in murder of 26-year-old

NATICK – The Massachusetts Parole Board has denied the release of a Middleboro man convicted of second-degree murder in 2011, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has announced. 

Darren Caswell, 60, was charged for his role in the 2003 murder of Matthew Cote and was found guilty in Plymouth County Superior Court. Investigators determined Cote, then 26, was stabbed to death over a debt to Caswell’s cousin. The victim’s body was discovered days later in the rear seat of his pickup truck in a remote area in the town of Carver. Both the victim and his truck were found severely burned. 

The circumstances surrounding Cote’s death remained unsolved for several years. Caswell was ultimately connected to the homicide by investigators in 2009. 

On August 29, 2024, Caswell – who had been sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole – appeared before the Parole Board for his first time. In their decision denying Caswell’s parole, board members noted Caswell, “… appeared to minimize his involvement in the offense,” and stated the defendant’s history as a corrections officer meant he should be held at a higher standard. 

Caswell’s parole eligibility will be reviewed by the Parole Board in 2026.