Pembroke, Massachusetts Woman Convicted in 1992 Double Murder Granted Parole

Pembroke MASS -Katherine McGlincy, 74, who has served a life sentence for two murders she claims she has no memory of committing, has been granted parole.

McGlincy pleaded guilty in 1994 to second-degree murder in the December 1992 deaths of Eero and Lillian Helin in Pembroke, Massachusetts. According to parole documents, McGlincy—then smoking crack cocaine—targeted the elderly couple to rob them for drug money. She shot Lillian Helin three times in the back and suffocated Eero Helin, an elderly man suffering from Parkinson’s disease who was too weak to resist.

Less than two months later, while hitchhiking, McGlincy shot a motorist named Mark Walther and stole his car. Walther survived, and police apprehended McGlincy later that day. A ballistics analysis matched the recovered gun to the weapon used to kill Lillian Helin. Under questioning, McGlincy admitted to entering the home with the gun but maintained she had no memory of the killings.

After unsuccessful review hearings in 2008, 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2025, McGlincy went before the board again on March 26. On September 10, the board voted to grant her release, citing her progress in bolstering her re-entry plan, which includes support for mental health and substance abuse issues.

As conditions of her parole, McGlincy must adhere to a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for six months, undergo drug and alcohol testing, and attend mental health counseling.