Serial Killer Charged in Two Additional Massachusetts Cold Cases

Why It matters

Kevin J. Lino, already convicted of two murders, now faces charges in two Massachusetts cold case homicides. The district attorney has labeled lino a serial killer. He’s 38 and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder: the 2010 killing of 54-year-old Gary A. Melanson and the 2012 killing of 30-year-old Douglas Leon clarke, according to the Boston Globe.

“Mr.Lino is a serial killer,” Middlesex County District attorney Marian Ryan told Boston 25 News. “The Department of Justice defines a serial killer as someone who has taken the life of two individuals in separate situations. We already have convictions in two cases, and now we’ve brought charges in two more.”

Lino is currently in prison for the murders of Normand Varieur in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood in 2012 and jack Gilbert Berry at a homeless encampment in Missoula, Montana, in 2014.

What to No

Police discovered the body of Gary melanson in 2010. He had multiple visible wounds, but a medical examiner initially ruled his manner of death “undetermined.”

In 2018, Massachusetts State Police, while investigating an unrelated case involving Lino, began to suspect his involvement in Melanson’s death, the district attorney’s office stated.

Investigators re-examined the evidence and, it appears, found enough to connect Lino to the crime. They didn’t release specific details about the new evidence.

Clarke’s body was found in 2012.One might suggest that the renewed focus on cold cases, combined with advancements in forensic technology, helped lead to these new charges.

Prosecutors believe Lino acted alone in both killings.The cases are ongoing, and Lino is expected to face trial for these additional charges. It’s a development that brings some measure of closure to the families of the victims.

You can find more information about this story at Boston 25 News and The Boston Globe.