Plymouth County homeless woman granted parole after prison sentence for killing boyfriend

A previously homeless Massachusetts woman has been granted parole after being found guilty of murdering her boyfriend.

According to the Parole Board, on March 16, 2004, following a jury trial in Plymouth Superior Court, the now 59-year-old Marie Lyons was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Gerard Charron. Lyons was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. 

On September 13, 2001, at approximately 12:45 a.m., members of the Brockton Police Department were dispatched to a small park next to South Junior High School, where individuals Marie Lyons and her boyfriend, Gerard Charron, were sleeping that night. Upon arrival, police found 50-year-old Gerard Charron lying face down with massive head trauma. 

In response to questioning, Lyons advised that she and Charron had gone out to dinner and consumed alcohol before returning to the park, where they drank more alcohol and fell asleep. She then claimed that while they were sleeping, someone came upon them and struck Charron in the head with a blunt object, killing him. 

The State Police ultimately determined that the physical evidence located on scene was inconsistent with Lyons’ story. Among other things, blood was found on the blanket that Lyons claimed to have been on at the time of the attack, which disproved her claim that she was sleeping at the time of the alleged third-party attack. It was later determined that Lyons committed the murder herself. 

This was Lyons’ third appearance before the Board. The Board stated that since her last hearing, she has continued to invest in her recovery and rehabilitation. She has been sober for 19 years and has remained disciplinary report free. She has done a significant amount of work on her trauma history and substance use disorder, both of which were related to the offense. She has completed over 60 programs that addressed addiction, trauma, criminal thinking, mental health, grief, violence prevention, and vocational skills training. She has engaged in higher education through Boston College and completed all her training hours to become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. She has secured a paid opportunity with New Beginnings to complete her field requirement hours. Lyons has a significant support system according to the Board, including two members of the community/mentors and family to assist her with all of her re- entry needs. Lyons has also previously apologized to the family and friends of Charron.

The victim’s daughter opposed parole.

Among the conditions of Lyons parole is a Long Term Residential Program; Waive work for LTRP; Must be home between 10 PM and 6 AM or at PO’s discretion; Electronic monitoring or at PO’s discretion; Supervise for liquor abstinence, testing in accordance with Agency policy; Supervise for drugs, testing in accordance with Agency policy; Report to assigned MA Parole Office on day of release; No contact with victim(s)’ family; Counseling for trauma and addiction; AA at least 3x per week.