Massachusetts man denied parole after group opens fire on vehicle, killing occupant in Plymouth County

NATICK – The Massachusetts Parole Board denied the release this month of a man convicted of first-degree murder in relation to a 1991 Brockton homicide, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has announced.

The State Parole Board issued its decision against parole for Charles Dyous, now 52 years old. Dyous appeared in front of the state parole board where the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office appeared in opposition of his release. The family of Dyous’ victim also provided testimony urging the parole board to deny Dyous’ request for parole.

Dyous will be eligible for another hearing in front of the Parole Board two years from the date of his last hearing in March.

In the early morning hours of November 3, 1991, Dyous participated in the killing of 18-year-old Christopher Bender after he and seven other co-defendants made a plan to kill the victim at a party the previous day. The group approached Bender’s parked car, where the victim and another person were seated, and opened fire on the vehicle. Bender was shot four times and died from his injuries. Dyous — then 18 years old — was seen carrying a revolver by a witness following the homicide. Dyous has maintained his innocence since the fatal shooting and did not exhibit any remorse for his actions during the Parole Board process.

The defendant was convicted of first-degree murder in 1994 and sentenced to life without possibility of parole. In 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling in Commonwealth v. Mattis determined that life without the possibility of parole sentences are unconstitutional as applied to “emerging adults” between the ages of 18 and 20.

“Our office will continue to appear at the Parole Board and oppose the release of convicted murderers who have become eligible for parole through the Mattis Decision as we work to keep our communities safe,” DA Cruz said.