Mass. cold case killer up for parole — but family says, ‘We are still suffering’

A brutal 1988 murder left a Brockton family shattered, and their fear of the killer only grew as he evaded capture for more than a decade.

In 2003, the family felt justice had finally been served when Anthony LoConte’s cold case was solved and Robert Morganti was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

But now, because of a 2024 law change, Morganti is up for parole — and the family’s fear has returned.

“Who knows what he’s going to be capable of doing,” said Cindy O’Donnell, next to her twin sister, Susan Sward, two of LoConte’s older sisters.

In Jan. 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Mattis determined that sentencing people ages 18 through 20 at the time of the offense to life without the possibility of parole was unconstitutional.