Parole denied for 76-year-old after murder and robbery conviction in Bristol County Superior Court

Parole has been denied for a Bristol County man convicted of killing another man and robbery.

According to the Parole Board, on July 30, 1980, shortly after midnight, Kevin Coe, then 30, and his co-defendants, Shawn Dickinson and Derrick Dickinson, met Frank Sikorski outside a Taunton bar and requested a ride home. Sikorski agreed to drive them. Coe had been using drugs and consuming alcohol prior to his encounter with Sikorski. Coe and Dickinson beat Sikorski to death, ostensibly to steal his money and car. After killing Sikorski, the men disposed of his body in Oakland Pond in Taunton. Subsequently, the men robbed a West Bridgewater gas station at 2:50 a.m., leading police on a high-speed chase at approximately 4:00 a.m. The men were eventually apprehended and arrested at a roadblock in Raynham that same day. 

On April 6, 1981, in Bristol Superior Court, Coe pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the beating death of Sikorski. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Coe was also convicted of the unarmed robbery of Thomas Lordan and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, to run concurrently with the murder sentence.

The Board noted that this was the 8th time that Coe was before the Board and he continues to accumulate disciplinary reports. Coe noted that he feels he has completed enough rehabilitative programming. Despite not being an open mental health case at the DOC, the Board has concerns regarding Coe’s cognitive status based on his presentation at the hearing. Given Coe’s advancing age (currently age 76) the Board recommends that he would benefit from consulting with counsel and engaging in a neuropsychological evaluation. The Board considered testimony in opposition to parole from both Sikorski’s nephew and Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Canan Yesilcimen.

The Board concluded by unanimous decision that Coe has not demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.