Desperate for more drugs, a repairman in Boston went to the door of a previous client — a 76-year-old Boston woman who was home caring for her sick husband.
She welcomed him inside, but as soon as she turned her back, he grabbed her from behind and said he had a gun and a knife. He forced her to the kitchen and struck her with a bottle and a black cast-iron frying pan. He later raped her and a 31-year-old nurse who came to the home.
The man, identified as Patrick Kelley, had been released from prison a year earlier. He was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences.
Earlier this month, he was granted parole after remaining sober for 30 years.
What happened on Sept. 16, 1994
When the 76-year-old woman answered the door of her Dorchester home on Sept. 16, 1994, she had been expecting a visiting nurse to come help care for her sick husband.
Instead, it was Kelley.
When she saw him through her blinds, she recognized him as a repairman who had been to her home five or six times. She opened the door to speak with him.
He said he had to deliver some materials and that a contractor was meeting him there to do some work. So, she welcomed him inside.
After grabbing the woman and hitting her with a black cast-iron frying pan, he threatened to kill her.
Kelley demanded that she get her jewelry box and forced her to walk through both floors of the house, following her as she opened drawers. He also demanded money and took $75.
He said he was a drug addict who needed a fix, the parole board stated.
Afterward, Kelley forced the woman to go to the second floor, where he raped her twice and attempted to force her to perform oral sex at knifepoint.
About two hours after he first arrived, the nurse came to the house.
Kelley also forced the nurse upstairs while holding a knife and told her to remove her clothing because he was going to rape her. Kelley told the woman that “he could kill her” and that he “had killed a police officer before.”
Kelley then took both women downstairs again, where he went through their purses looking for money.
He locked them both in a closet, barricaded the door with a dresser, ripped the phones out of the walls and left the house.
Previous crimes
Officials consider Kelley a habitual criminal with an extensive criminal history.
On Dec. 27, 1988, Kelley was convicted of robbery, kidnapping, breaking and entering, larceny and assault and battery in Middlesex Superior Court.
Kelley was paroled after serving part of his sentence for the 1988 conviction.
He was then arrested for assault, which was later dismissed. Still, he had other parole violations, including use of alcohol and failure to inform his parole officer of his whereabouts. He remained in custody until his sentence ended on May 26, 1993.
Incarceration
During Kelley’s time incarcerated, he spent years resisting rehabilitation, the parole board wrote in 2014.
“Kelley has numerous issues, including drug and alcohol addiction, which he has failed to address …,” the parole board wrote.
During his 2014 hearing, he admitted he didn’t think he was going to get parole.
Five years later, Kelley offered an apology to the victims of his offenses, “acknowledging it to be the biggest mistake of his life and stating that he had not been raised to commit such an act,” the parole board wrote in 2019.
He told the parole board he thought there’d be money in the house because he had been previously paid in cash. When further asked about why he committed the crimes, he responded, “What happened, happened.”
“It should be noted that it took Mr. Kelley approximately 25 years to admit to raping Victim #2,” the parole board wrote.
He also began enrolling in programs prior to the 2019 hearing. The parole board was surprised to see the changes.
“I got tired of sitting around, and [sic] finally became man enough to do what I am supposed to do and start taking responsibility,” he told the board.
Despite the changes, he was denied parole for at least another five years.
During his 2024 hearing, the board noted he had finally completed the Sex Offender Treatment Program. He also hasn’t had any disciplinary reports since 2013 and was employed in the optical shop and kitchen. He’s been sober for about 30 years.
“However, the Board has concerns about Mr. Kelley’s insight into the causative factors of his crimes. The Board also has concerns regarding the lack of specifics in Mr. Kelley’s re-entry plan and how it will address his ability to safely be released to the community,” the board wrote.
Parole, once again, was denied.
This time, however, Kelley, who is currently at NCCI Gardner, only had to wait a year before going in front of the parole board again. And on Sept. 9, 2025, Kelley, 61, pleaded his case.
On Feb. 12, the parole board granted his parole after 30 days and clearance from the district attorney in a unanimous decision.
“Mr. Kelley’s offense was directly related to addiction,” the parole board wrote, noting he has been sober and plans to go into residential treatment.
They also stated he “demonstrated further insight into his pattern of offending and invested in Restorative Justice practices.”
Once released, Kelley will be required to have electronic monitoring for 6 months, undergo drug and alcohol testing and have mental health counseling for adjustment, depression and anger management.
