Man who killed 87-year-old neighbor in Woburn in 1975 is granted parole

A man who killed his 87-year-old neighbor in Woburn in 1975 has been granted parole from a life sentence, records show.

The state Parole Board voted 4-2 to grant release to Ronald O’Brien, 70, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of John Telfair, a neighbor he’d known for most of his life, according to a Sept. 23 ruling.

First-degree murder carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole upon conviction. However, O’Brien became parole eligible after the state Supreme Judicial Court last year struck down life sentences without a chance at parole for defendants who were 18 to 20 at the time of their crimes.

O’Brien was 20 when he killed Telfair on Dec. 26, 1975, the board said.

At trial, a witness testified that O’Brien and his girlfriend arrived