Plymouth County man denied parole after murdering parents, 11-year-old sister

The state Parole Board has issued their unanimous opinion to deny parole to a Massachusetts man who murdered his parents and 11-year-old sister in Rochester in 1993.

On October 9, 1993, then 15 year-old Gerard McCra, now known as Kuluwm Asar, argued with both of his parents. McCra possessed a firearm and later that same day, shot his mother, Merle McCra, 36, in the head inside their family home. McCra then went outside and executed his father, Gerard McCra, Jr., 34, and sister, Melanie, shooting them in the back of their heads inside the family car as he sat in the backseat.

In 1995, a Plymouth County jury found Asar guilty of the murders and he was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. On June 3, 1998, the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed his convictions. In 2013, the SJC issued a decision in Diatchenko v. District Attorney for Suffolk District & Others, in which the Court determined that the statutory provisions mandating life without the possibility of parole were invalid as applied to juveniles convicted of first-degree murder. The Court further decided that the juveniles must be given a parole hearing. Because Asar was 15 years-old at the time of the murders, he became parole eligible.

On May 30, 2019, Asar appeared before the state Parole Board for his first review hearing where he was denied parole.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the Board released their decision to again deny parole to Asar, now 46.

The Board acknowledged the progress Asar has made, however, they felt he has further work to do in the areas of healthy relationships, restorative justice, victim empathy, and emotional awareness. He was also encouraged to remain disciplinary report free.

Asar will be eligible to come before the Parole Board again in 2 years.