A Massachusetts man already serving prison time for two homicides has been officially labeled a “serial killer” by prosecutors after being charged with the cold-case murders of two additional men.
Kevin Lino, 38, of Lowell, was arraigned recently on new murder charges connected to deaths dating back to 2010 and 2012. Lino is currently incarcerated for the 2012 murder of Normand Varieur in Boston and the 2014 murder of Jack Gilbert Berry in Missoula, Montana.
According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, all four men were experiencing homelessness at the time of their deaths.
“Mr. Lino is a serial killer,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told Boston 25 News. “The Department of Justice defines a serial killer as someone who has taken the life of two individuals in separate situations. In this case, we have already convictions in two. We’ve now brought charges in two more.”
New Allegations Reveal Brutal Methods
The new charges shed light on violent incidents within homeless encampments that went unsolved for over a decade.
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Prosecutors allege that in 2010, a then-23-year-old Lino beat Gary Melanson, 54, to death with a metal baseball bat at an encampment in Lowell. Authorities stated that Lino was angered by Melanson lighting fires to stay warm. Lino reportedly feared the fires would draw attention from police and the fire department.
When Melanson refused to stop, Lino allegedly “rushed the victim, who was much smaller and older than the defendant, and struck him repeatedly,” according to the District Attorney’s statement.
The second new charge relates to the 2012 death of Douglas Leon Clarke, 30, near the Harvard Square MBTA station in Cambridge.
At the time, Clarke’s death was ruled an accidental overdose involving a mixture of morphine, codeine, and gabapentin. However, information surfaced in 2018 placing Lino at the same encampment. Prosecutors now allege Lino, angry that heroin users were occupying the space, administered a fatal dose of heroin—known as a “hot shot”—to Clarke intentionally.
Clarification on Regional Rumors
While the label “serial killer” has drawn significant attention, authorities clarified that Lino is not a suspect in an unrelated series of discoveries involving human remains across New England earlier this year.
Police emphasized that Lino’s alleged crimes appear focused on men within the unhoused community he was part of at the time.
With Lino now linked to four deaths across two states, authorities indicated the investigation remains active to determine if there are additional victims.
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