> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Federal Murder Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:59:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:59:32.000Z
- Description: In the District of Massachusetts, 53 people were sentenced for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 52 (98%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 235 months (19.6 years), and 7 people received a life sentence. In all 94 districts, the median for murder was 240 months.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-massachusetts/) › Murder: District of Massachusetts

**In brief:** In the District of Massachusetts, 53 people were sentenced for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 52 (98%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 235 months (19.6 years), and 7 people received a life sentence. In all 94 districts, the median for murder was 240 months.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 53 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Median Prison Terms and Life Sentences

"Murder" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for these cases. Among the 52 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 235 months. A quarter received 420 months or more, and a quarter received 138.2 months or less.

In addition, 7 people received a life sentence. One person received probation only.

In all 94 districts, 3,754 people were sentenced for murder, and the median prison term was 240 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 30 months.

## Guilty Pleas Compared With Trials

A total of 44 of 53 people (83%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 78% pleaded guilty for this offense type. For all offenses in this district, 95% did.

The median prison term was 202 months after a guilty plea and 470 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 9 people.

Among guilty pleas, 77% had a written plea agreement and 23% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## What Guidelines Applied

The most common primary guideline was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), with 35 people. Next was §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder), with 14.

A group of 3 people was under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and 1 was under §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder). Murder cases were 1% of the 4,847 people sentenced in the district.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

Of the 53 people with the information, 22 (42%) were sentenced within the range, and 22 (42%) were below it at the government's request. Another 9 (17%) were below it without a government request. None was above the range.

For murder in all districts, 39% were within the range. In this district across all offenses, 29% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 53 people (4%).

## Supervised Release and Other Penalties

After prison, 49 people (92%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 36 months, and 1 person (2%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 3 people (6%), and restitution for 6 (11%). On criminal history, 62% were in the lowest category and 2% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## A Table With Missing Years

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 31 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 22\. The table has no rows for fiscal years 2020 and 2021\. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

Fiscal year 2018 had 14 people and a median of 327 months. Fiscal year 2024 had 2 people and a median of 118 months. Counts this small do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 3                | 130.5 months  | 2 of 3         |
| 2017        | 4                | 93 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2018        | 14               | 327 months    | 79%            |
| 2019        | 10               | 236 months    | 60%            |
| 2022        | 13               | 235 months    | 100%           |
| 2023        | 4                | 171 months    | 3 of 4         |
| 2024        | 2                | 118 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2025        | 3                | 192 months    | 3 of 3         |

## Limits of This Data

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served, and the records do not describe any individual case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (53). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-massachusetts/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.