Baker supports a trio of pardons

Firearms licenses are at stake

Three men seeking pardons for decades-old crimes in order to obtain firearms licenses received the support of Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday as his office announced a new round of recommendations for clemency.

Baker, who leaves office in less than a month, pledged support for Philip Hagar, who was fined $35 more than 40 years ago for firing a gun within 150 feet of a highway in Boxford; Edmund Whelan Mulvehill, who was convicted in 1977 for committing two armed robberies in Norwood, where he now serves the town’s director of veterans’ services; and Natick Deputy Fire Chief John Austin, who in 1996 was convicted of second-offense drunk driving, according to copies of the parole reports.

Their cases now join a growing list of pardon recommendations submitted by Baker’s office to the Governor’s Council for final approval.

“After careful consideration of these cases and the recommendations of the Advisory Board of Pardons, I have reached the conclusion that these individuals are worthy candidates for a pardon,” Baker said in a statement

All received unanimous recommendations for parole by the six-member state parole board.

Terrence Kennedy, a member of the Governor’s Council, said Wednesday evening that he hadn’t seen Baker’s new recommendations yet but he generally supports the governor’s push for clemency in these cases.

“I haven’t had a chance to review those yet but I’m extremely pleased with the number of pardons and commutations the Baker administration has put forward in the last few months,” Kennedy said in a brief interview.

Eileen Duff, another member of the council, agreed that she welcomes the governor’s recommendations.

“I wish we got pardons on a more regular basis and not just at the end of the Governor’s term,” Duff wrote in an e-mail Thursday. “That said, at least we are finally getting some.”

Hagar, 83, held a firearms license for more than 40 years but was unable to renew it in 2019 as a result of his conviction, the report said. It was not immediately clear why Hagar’s license renewal had not been denied in past years.

His charge stems from a hunting outing he took with his father in Boxford in December 1971. Hagar said he fired his weapon at a deer and did not realize he was within 150 feet of a highway, the report said. After someone reported hearing a gunshot to Boxford police, Hagar received a $35 fine, which he paid in 1982, according to the report.

Hagar, a retiree who spent his career working for the US Postal Service, is a member of the Danvers Fish and Game Club but has not been able to participate since his firearms license was denied renewal three years ago, the report said.

Mulvehill was convicted in 1977 for committing a pair of robberies at a Norwood gas station at knife-point over two days where a total of $209 was stolen, according to the report. He was arrested on March 5, 1977, and was identified by the clerk in a lineup of suspects, according to the report.

He reportedly admitted to the robberies and directed police to the location of the knife and money, which were buried in snow, the report said. He was sentenced to seven years in prison with three years suspended for probation, the report said.

Mulvehill is an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. He told the parole board that he committed the crimes while living with a drug and alcohol dependency stemming from traumatic events he experienced while in the military, the report said.

Mulvehill expressed remorse for causing fear in the store clerk and said he realized he needed to change his lifestyle , according to the report.

Austin, a firefighter for 21 years and a part-time radiology technician at Mount Auburn Hospital, was convicted in 1996 after pleading guilty to one count of second-offense operating under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested in Natick on Feb. 8, 1996, after making an illegal U-turn and failing a field sobriety test, the report said.

His first offense came in 1988 when he was arrested for drunken driving after leaving a work Christmas party, the report said.

In his request for clemency, Austin told the board that he’s been sober since 1996 when he entered an alcohol education class as part of his sentence.