By Chris Camire
Lowell Sun
BOSTON — For Les Gosule, the shooting death of Woburn police Officer John Maguire stirred up memories that cut like a knife.
“I couldn’t believe it was happening again,” recalled Gosule, who said yesterday he swore a blue streak when he saw the television and newspaper reports. “It didn’t make sense.”
Like Maguire, Gosule’s daughter, Melissa Gosule, was killed by a convict released on parole. Now the 64-year-old Quincy resident is championing legislation aimed at preventing a similar tragedy from happening again.
Gosule and several lawmakers gathered inside the Statehouse yesterday morning to announce plans to make long-ignored legislation to eliminate parole eligibility for violent habitual offenders a legislative priority in 2011.
Named “Melissa’s Bill” in honor of Gosule’s daughter, the legislation has languished in the Judiciary Committee for more than a decade. Lawmakers said it could have prevented the fatal shooting of Maguire, a Wilmington resident, by parolee Dominic Cinelli during a robbery at Kohl’s department store in Woburn last week.
“If we don’t pass this bill, there will be more crimes committed,” said Rep. Brad Hill, a Republican from Ipswich. “We’ve had legislation in place for the last decade that would have prevented this tragedy in Woburn.”
Cinelli had been paroled in 2009 despite receiving three life sentences.
Melissa’s Bill, which was written with input from Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard Leone, would ensure that a defendant with three Superior Court felony convictions would receive the maximum punishment available by law. It would also eliminate parole eligibility for those repeat offenders.
Gosule said the fatal shooting of Maguire has cast a spotlight on the bill, but added that it was unfortunate another life had to be lost to get the Legislature’s attention.
Melissa Gosule, a 27-year-old substitute teacher, was killed in 1999 by a stranger who gave her a ride after her car broke down in Bourne. Her killer, Halifax native Michael Gentile, had served less than two years in jail for a combined 27 criminal offenses when he was charged with her rape and murder.
State Rep. James Dwyer, a Woburn Democrat, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said he is not sure why the bill never got past committee this session.
“This is not a liberal or a conservative bill, a Democrat or a Republican bill,” Dwyer said at yesterday’s press conference in support of the legislation. “It’s a public safety. It’s a common-sense bill.”
State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty, a Chelsea Democrat, who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, issued a statement yesterday responding to criticism over this committee’s failure to advance the bill for a vote this session.
“All bills referred to the Judiciary Committee during the 2011-2012 legislative session will receive a full and thorough review, including a public hearing, before any recommendation is made to the entire Legislature,” O’Flaherty said.
“The recent action by the Parole Board relative to the early release of Dominic Cinelli will certainly bring much-warranted attention to those proposals dealing with violent recidivist criminals and eligibility for parole.”
Marc Lombardo, a Billerica Republican who will be sworn into the House today, did not attend yesterday’s press conference but said he is a strong supporter of “Melissa’s Bill.”
“Sometimes tragedy makes legislation move forward, and maybe this will bring awareness to the fact that lifetime sentences should not be paroled,” Lombardo said.