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Massachusetts Parole Board Grants Parole to Nathaniel Harbin in 1992 Brockton Murder

The decision follows a court ruling that opened parole to people who were 18 to 20 at the time of their crimes.

FILE Concertina wire and a guard tower (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Nathaniel Harbin back in the 1990s was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Herald archive)

Overview

  • The board voted 4–2 to approve release to a halfway house within two weeks, and he remains in DOC custody pending the transfer.
  • Harbin must comply with six months of electronic monitoring, a nightly curfew, substance restrictions, counseling, and a no-contact order for the victim’s family.
  • Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz opposed the decision and publicly objected to Harbin’s release.
  • Harbin, now 53, fatally shot 21-year-old Travis Powell on Nov. 22, 1992, after returning to a Brockton drug house with a shotgun and confronting him.
  • The board acknowledged prior violence in custody, including a 1999 inmate stabbing and an assault on a prosecutor, but cited years of therapy and program work since 2018.