More than two years after receiving a recommendation from Massachusetts’ advisory Board of Pardons, Ed Fielding, 75, remains incarcerated despite the board’s approval of his commutation petition under Governor Maura Healey’s executive clemency guidelines issued in 2023. Fielding, who has served 55 years in prison, is among at least three long-term inmates awaiting the governor’s decision to grant clemency.

Fielding was convicted of fatally shooting a liquor store clerk in Medford in 1971, shortly after returning from service in Vietnam. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and heroin addiction at the time, he and an accomplice committed the robbery during which the clerk, Joseph Reppucci, was killed. Fielding’s attorney, Patty DeJuneas, highlighted that Fielding accepted responsibility for the crime from the outset and has maintained a clean disciplinary record since 1978. He has earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and lived in the community under supervised release for four years in the 1980s.

The other two inmates waiting for Governor Healey’s signature are Scott Kirwan, a Navy veteran convicted of fatally stabbing a man outside a Pembroke bar in 1999, and Randy Arias, who was convicted of second-degree murder and assault after shooting a man near a Lawrence nightclub in 2008. Arias has obtained his GED and a bachelor’s degree in prison and participates in training service dogs. Both men received commutation recommendations from the Board of Pardons, which Healey appointed.

William Florentino, 66, had also been approved for commutation but was paroled in May 2025 following a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling. The court’s 2024 Mattis decision found life sentences without parole unconstitutional for offenders who committed crimes between ages 18 and 20, making Florentino eligible for parole. He now lives and works in the community. Unlike commutations, parole decisions do not require governor approval but are made by the same seven-member board of gubernatorial appointees.

Healey’s 2023 clemency guidelines marked a shift in state policy, emphasizing fairness, equity, and the correction of systemic injustices in the criminal justice system. The governor pledged to act without delay despite political risks, but she has yet to approve a single commutation since taking office, even as several candidates meet the criteria outlined in her guidelines.

While Governor Healey has used her clemency authority to issue pardons, including a broad pardon potentially affecting thousands with marijuana convictions, the pace of commutation approvals stands in contrast. Historically, commutations in Massachusetts have been rare; only four have been granted in the last 25 years, including three issued by Healey’s predecessor, Governor Charlie Baker, during his final days in office.

Advocates argue that granting commutations to vetted candidates like Fielding, Kirwan, and Arias would align with Healey’s stated commitment that “justice can’t wait” and would offer a meaningful path to rehabilitation and reintegration for long-term inmates. As calls for action grow, Healey’s pending commutations remain a critical focal point in the state’s ongoing criminal justice reform efforts.