Christopher Berry is a teen killer from Massachusetts who would break into the home of a neighbor and murder the elderly woman
According to court documents Christopher Berry was sixteen years old when following a fight with his father would break into the home of his elderly neighbor eighty seven year old Virginia Woodward. Berry would drink a bunch of alcohol and then would stab the sleeping woman several times causing her death
Christopher Berry would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison
Christopher Berry has been eligible for parole since 2015 however he has repeatedly been denied
Christopher Berry Case
A Massachusetts man convicted in 1991 of murdering his neighbor after a party on the day after Christmas was denied parole for a third time by state officials earlier this month.
Christopher Berry, 53, has served 37 years of his life sentence for the killing of his Saugus neighbor, 87-year-old Virginia Woodward, on Dec. 26, 1987.
Berry, then a 16-year-old, hosted a small party at his home, drinking beer and smoking marijuana, as well as consuming Xanax and mescaline, before getting into a physical altercation with his father, according to documents filed with the state’s parole board.
After the fight, his father physically removed him from the apartment and told him not to come back. Berry then decided to break into Woodward’s home, located across the street, to steal property and money.
“After gaining entry, Mr. Berrry went into her kitchen and drank vodka,” parole documents state. “He then found Ms. Woodward lying in bed. With a butcher knife, Mr. Berry stabbed Ms. Woodward eight times in her head, chest, abdomen, upper arms, and hands. Mr. Berry then smoked a cigarette, which he extinguished on her forehead.”
Berry went home, and after authorities learned of Woodward’s death the following day, he was arrested shortly after.
On Aug. 13, the state’s parole board denied Berry parole and he is eligible for another review in two years. It’s the third time since 2015 that state officials have denied him parole.
An Essex County jury found Berry guilty of first-degree murder on Oct. 4, 1991, and a judge sentenced him to life in prison without possibility of parole. He was also convicted of armed burglary with assault on an occupant and sentenced to a concurrent term in prison.
In 2013, however, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court made Berry and other defendants sentenced to life without parole as juveniles eligible for parole consideration after 15 years following its decision in the case of Commonwealth v. Diatchenko.
Berry appeared before the parole board in February and attorney Courtney Kenyon represented him, according to parole board documents.
The board’s decision found that “Mr. Berry needs continued work on self-development, specifically regarding his judgment and coping skills.”
The parole board said Berry continues to struggle with substance use and anger. The decision states he is encouraged to pursue programming to address his decision-making, coping skills, relapse prevention, and anger.
He is also encouraged to provide confirmation of renunciation from gang affiliation, the board wrote.
The parole board heard opposition testimony from Essex County Assistant District Attorney Dawn Masterson in opposition to parole, the decision states.
Christopher Berry Now
Custody Record
Gender
Male
Race
Unknown
MA: Massachusetts Department of Correction
ID Number
W51***Custody Status
In Custody
Custody Detail
Old Colony Correctional Center
