A man serving a life sentence for the 1994 murder of a teenager in Medford who was stabbed 79 times has been granted parole, records show.
The state’s Parole Board voted 4-2 to grant release to Jeffrey Hardy, who was convicted in 1995 of first-degree murder for the slaying of 19-year-old Thomas Moran, according to a Jan. 6 ruling.
A first-degree murder conviction normally carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. But Hardy became eligible to seek release after the state’s highest court in January 2024 struck down such sentences for defendants who were aged 18 to 20 at the time of their crimes.
Hardy was 20 when he killed Moran.
The ruling said Hardy, Moran, and three others played basketball together on the afternoon of the murder and then drank beer. Hardy also bought marijuana at some point laced with PCP. The group smoked it that evening at a friend’s house.
Moran, believing the effect of the drug was weak, angered Hardy when he told him it was “fake” and claimed that Hardy “got beat.”
The ruling said Moran also called Hardy and another person “chumps” and “idiots.”
Hardy then left the residence and returned 15 minutes later with a gun tucked in his pants, the ruling said. The group then went to a bar before driving to a nearby park, where Hardy ordered everyone out of the car, telling them to wait for “a dealer” he said was en route, according to the decision.
One of the men in the group then saw Hardy point the gun at Moran’s head and shoot, the ruling said.
Moran exclaimed “Hardy shot me in the mouth” before he died, the ruling said. All but one of the people in the group then stabbed Moran, whose body was later found in the park with a gunshot wound to the face and 79 stab wounds, the ruling said.
Hardy would later tell a witness that detail, the ruling said.
A witness “testified to admissions made by Mr. Hardy following the crime, including, ‘did you hear how many times we got him? 80 times.’”
The board noted that Hardy’s disciplinary history while incarcerated has included violence but said he’s remained free of infractions for 15 years.
Hardy has also remained sober for 29 years and engaged in rehabilitative programming, the ruling said.
“The Board considered the report of Dr. Joel Nunez,” the ruling said. “Mr. Hardy currently is at a low risk on the risk assessments” for reoffending.
The board said it heard testimony supporting and opposing Hardy’s release.
“The Board heard testimony in support of parole from two family members and a friend of Mr. Hardy,” the ruling said. “The Board heard testimony in opposition to parole from Mr. Moran’s brother and sister.”
A State Police detective, a clergy member, and a Middlesex prosecutor also all urged the board to keep Hardy locked up, according to the ruling.
But the board voted to release him to a halfway house after six months in a lower-security facility, records show.
Once Hardy is out, he’ll have to abide by several conditions, including submitting to electronic monitoring for six months, staying off drugs and alcohol, participating in mental health counseling, and refraining from contacting Moran’s family, the ruling said.
Hardy remained incarcerated Wednesday at North Central Correctional Institution, a medium and minimum-security prison in Gardner, records show.
Sign in to read the full article.
Sign in with Google