A Massachusetts man who used the jagged end of a broken golf club to repeatedly stab a man to death has been denied parole more than 30 years later.
Kevin Dahl was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Andrew McDonough, Jr. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1993.
McDonough, 23, two women and three other men walked up to a house for an “after party” in the South Boston area. But it was too crowded and they were asked to leave.
When they got back to the truck, three people were there and a fight broke out amongst the two groups.
People began pouring out of the home, including 20-year-old Dahl, to join the fight.
Dahl struck McDonough on the back of the head with a golf club, knocking him to the ground. Dahl then jabbed McDonough repeatedly with the jagged end of a broken golf club and used it as a spear by impaling him, according to the Massachusetts Parole Board.
Other people also struck and kicked McDonough as he lay on the ground, pleading for them to stop. The attack lasted several minutes.
He died due to his injuries.
In January 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Mattis that sentencing people, ages 18 through 20 at the time of their offense, to life without the possibility of parole was unconstitutional and amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Massachusetts was the first state in the country to transform the law, experts said.
“Essentially, the brains of what we are calling ‘late adolescents’ or ‘emerging adults’ function very much like juveniles,” Northampton attorney Paul Rudof, one of the lawyers who successfully challenged life sentences for individuals aged 18 to 20, told The Republican.
There were 210 cases that fell into the Mattis decision across Massachusetts, including Dahl’s.
Dahl, now 53, went in front of the parole board for the first time on June 25.
The court’s Mattis decision has been devastating for the families of those killed as they are forced to relive the trauma, often going in front of the parole board and the incarcerated individual to make their own case.
Families have described the process as a “nightmare,” stating they feel betrayed and that the system is treating murderers as victims while their own pain is ignored. One family member during a previous hearing walked out, feeling as if his side wasn’t being fairly heard after the incarcerated individual was told they did a good job.
The parole board has so far granted freedom to more than 25 people, which is a significant majority of those who have had hearings and decisions released.
However, Dahl has a limited program history, according to the board. He has not yet completed his GED, his employment history has been inconsistent and his disciplinary history reflects history with substance misuse.
In a Nov. 20 decision, the board encouraged Dahl to complete Correctional Recovery Academy (CRA), work towards his GED and remain disciplinary report free.
Dahl will have another parole board hearing in 3 years.
