Massachusetts man labeled habitual offender after rape convictions in Plymouth and Suffolk Counties, granted parole with conditions

A Massachusetts man convicted of rapes in multiple counties has been granted parole with conditions.

According to the Parole Board, on February 8, 1999, a 16-year-old Scituate girl awoke to find 34-year-old Reginald Butler of Boston sitting on her bed with a windbreaker hood pulled down to conceal his face. Over a 20-minute period, Butler raped the victim, held a sharp silver object (a knife or a pair of scissors) to her neck, and punched her repeatedly in the ribs. He told her to lie face down, so that she would not see him. After he left, the victim immediately called a friend to report what happened. She later went to the hospital. Initially, the victim did not tell anyone who raped her, fearing retribution against her and her family.

About five weeks after the rape, the victim disclosed that she had recognized her assailant as the cousin of her neighbor. Shortly thereafter, the victim identified Reginald Butler in a photo array. 

In a Suffolk County case, Butler broke into the victim’s apartment in Chelsea in the middle of the night of September 13, 1991. The victim was alone in her apartment and had fallen asleep on the living room couch while watching television. She had been out earlier in the night with a group of friends. Butler, at various points in the evening, had been part of the group. During the socializing, the victim had resisted his sexual advances, including Butler’s offer to exchange cocaine for sex. Butler was staying with a friend in an apartment in the same building where the victim lived. At 4:00 a.m., the victim awoke to find Butler on top of her attempting to have sexual intercourse with her. The victim resisted by attempting to kick and punch him. He continued the assault, slapped the victim, and swore at her. The victim became more afraid as Butler became angrier and more aggressive. She eventually ceased physical resistance out of fear of him.

The victim reported the crimes later in the morning of September 13th. Four witnesses (the victim, two of her friends and a police officer) saw damage to the victim’s apartment door. The victim reported to the police that Butler broke through the locked apartment door. 

The victim was treated at the hospital. A rape kit included a vaginal swab which tested positive for the presence of semen. (The victim had reported that the defendant ejaculated.) DNA testing by Cellmark Laboratories established that the DNA profile obtained from the vaginal swab matches the DNA profile of Butler. 

On February 1, 2002, after a jury trial in Plymouth County Superior Court, Butler was convicted of aggravated rape. On February 8, 2002, after a jury- waived trial, Butler was convicted of being a habitual offender and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. In 2003, Butler was also convicted of rape in Suffolk County. He was sentenced to 9 to 15 years in prison to be served from and after the life sentence.

Butler had been denied parole after his initial parole hearing in 2016, and after his review hearing in 2021. Butler, now 60 years old, appeared for his review hearing on July 23, 2024.

On November 20th, the Board issued their decision.

The Board stated that since his last appearance in front of the Board in 2021, Butler has demonstrably followed recommendations of the Board. Specifically, Butler has engaged in therapy to address past trauma issues noted in previous evaluations and has also completed multiple Restorative Justice Programs to learn more about empathy, repairing harm, and the root causes of his behavior. Butler has also completed and served as a mentor in the S.O.T.P. program. Butler has been sober for 25 years, and the Board notes that drug use may have played some role in the underlying convictions. Butler has worked to address causative factors related to the underlying crime and will continue to do so upon release, according to the Board.

The Board heard from one of Butler’s two victims, and a victim’s family member, in opposition to parole. The Board also heard testimony from Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Karen Polumbo and Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Montez Haywood in opposition to parole. In support, the Board heard testimony from Mr. Butler’s appellate attorney, as well as Mr. Butler’s uncle and a friend. 

Conditions of Butler’s parole include: Waive work for 2 weeks; Curfew-must be home between 10 P.M. and 6 A.M. at Parole Officer’s discretion; Electronic monitoring at Parole Officer’s discretion; Supervise for drugs with testing in accordance with Agency policy; Supervise for liquor abstinence with testing in accordance with Agency policy; Report to assigned MA Parole Office on day of release; No contact with victim(s)’ family; Must have substance abuse evaluation and follow all recommendations; Counselling for grief and childhood trauma; Residential program – CRJ; Mandatory Sex-A conditions.