A man convicted of first degree murder in connection with a 2004 fatal Brockton shooting has been granted parole.
Thirty-nine-year-old Lewis Franklin of Brockton is set to be released to a state mental health group home following the state parole board’s decision to grant him parole.
Franklin was convicted for the 2004 murder of 18-year-old John Falcone.
Authorities say that Franklin shot and killed Falcone during an argument over a narcotics transaction.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However in 2024, the state supreme court ruled that life without parole is unconstitutional for emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 20.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz wrote a letter to the parole board in opposition to Franklin being released.
Cruz says that Franklin received 19 disciplinary reports spanning his entire tenure in prison.
The DA also said that Franklin started to participate in an institutional program only after the supreme court decision and that his failure to better himself beforehand undercuts that he is ready for parole.
In their decision to release Franklin, the parole board said that he has a strong support system that will help him comply with a release and mental health plan.