A man has been granted parole after serving 16 years in connection with the stabbing death of a man outside a Boston bar in 2009.
Corey Patterson, 38, was paroled on Jan. 20, according to a Massachusetts Parole Board decision. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
In November 2009, Patterson and a group of friends were at an Allston bar where Patterson attempted to get the attention of a woman who was part of another group, according to parole documents. Patterson, then 23-year-old Dorchester resident, was told to back off.
When Patterson persisted, an altercation broke out between the two groups. Patterson scuffled with another man, 24-year-old Gregory Phillips. Patterson approached Phillips with a knife and stabbed him in the heart, according to parole documents.
Phillips died later that night.
Patterson discarded the knife under a parked car and fled the scene in a vehicle driven by his cousin, according to parole documents. He then told his cousin to return to the scene so Patterson could recover the knife, according to the Board.
After retrieving the knife and returning to his cousin’s vehicle, police stopped the car and arrested Patterson. DNA testing of blood found on the knife and on Patterson’s shoes matched evidence from the scene.
In deciding to grant parole, the Board cited Patterson’s behavior while incarcerated, noting that he “invested in rehabilitation.” Patterson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University while in prison, according to the Board, and took steps to establish community support and employment.
