This letter to the editor ran in today’s Patriot Ledger. It was written by Jen McLaughlin of Rockland:
I read your June 30 article about the parole board rejecting Rod Matthew’s petition for release. My message is in response to the comment made by Matthews’ mother, Janice Matthews, quoted in your pierce as saying “My question is, what do they want from my son?”
I sympathize with the fact that Matthews is heartbroken at the fact her son has been sentenced to life in prison and the losses she has had to endure as a direct result of that consequence.
But, I can assure her that if the situation was reversed, she would feel quite different. I know, because my family has been touched by a very similar violent crime.
Not only has the Ouillette family lost their son, they are now also dealing with their daughter and her fear for her safety if Matthews is released. Not until someone in your family is killed at the hands of another person in such a violent manner can you begin to comprehend how life-changing this one event can be. It never really goes away, for either family.
To answer her question of “What do they want from my son?” the answer is simply – to serve his sentence. Period. He has been sentenced to life in prison, which means exactly that. That does not mean he gets released 20 to 30 years later, just because he has been a good boy.
Even if Rod Matthews now realizes what he did all those years ago was wrong, he is still accountable for his actions, as is every person who commits a crime. He must stay in prison until his sentence is complete; no matter how heartbreaking it is for his family.
