On a cold March day in 2014, concern grew for Mark T. Regan, a 66-year-old Caucasian male from West Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston. A dependable employee at FedEx in Needham, it was highly uncharacteristic for him to miss a shift, yet he hadn't shown up for work on March 12th. His colleagues' repeated calls to his cell phone went unanswered, deepening their worry.
When he missed another shift, his supervisor knew something was wrong and contacted the police to request a wellness check at his Perham Street home.
On the morning of March 14, 2014, Boston police officers arrived at the residence. Neighbors reported not having seen Mark Regan for a couple of days. With growing concern for his safety, and after getting authorization from a supervisor, officers used a ladder to enter the home through an unlocked second-floor window. Inside, they made a grim discovery. They found Mark Regan's body on the floor, partially covered by a bedsheet. It was apparent he had been shot to death.
As authorities secured the scene, they encountered another person in the house: the victim's 33-year-old adopted son, Mark Tomas Regan. The younger Regan, clad only in a t-shirt and underwear, claimed he had been hiding in the attic because he was frightened. Homicide detectives took him into custody overnight.
The subsequent investigation uncovered damning evidence inside the home. In a bedroom used by the son, police found both live and spent bullet cartridges. The murder weapon, a. 38 caliber Charter Arms revolver, was discovered hidden in the attic insulation. Ballistics experts confirmed that the bullets recovered from the elder Regan's body were fired from that specific revolver. Further forensic analysis revealed the son's fingerprints on the gun.
Mark Tomas Regan was arrested and charged with the murder of his adoptive father. In June 2019, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years. His legal battle did not end there. His attorney later filed an appeal, arguing that the police's initial warrantless entry into the home was unconstitutional. However, in August 2024, the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld the murder conviction, ruling that the officers had a legitimate and reasonable concern for Mark Regan Sr.'s well-being, justifying the emergency entry. While the court overturned the convictions for illegal gun and ammunition possession on a technicality related to licensing proof, this decision did not affect his life sentence for the murder.
