Man convicted of 1986 murder of Kingston teen Tracy Gilpin sentenced to life

Michael Hand, 69, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of 15-year-old Tracy Gilpin. A Brockton jury convicted him after more than 32 years of investigation.

Kingston man jailed for life over 1986 murder of 15-year-old girl

A jury in Brockton Superior Court has convicted Michael Hand, 69, of first-degree murder in the 1986 kidnapping and killing of Tracy Gilpin, a 15-year-old from Kingston, Massachusetts, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced. According to plymouthda.com, Judge Katie Cook Rayburn sentenced Hand to a mandatory life term without the possibility of parole following the verdict.

The jury reached its decision after five and a half hours of deliberation at the end of a 12-day trial.

Gilpin was reported missing on October 2, 1986. Her body was discovered three weeks later, on October 22, in Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined she had died from a massive skull fracture and ruled the death a homicide.

The case remained open for more than 32 years. State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, working alongside Plymouth and Kingston police, continued to pursue leads throughout that period. Investigators eventually identified Hand — a former Kingston resident — as a potential witness.

In March 2018, State Police travelled to North Carolina, where Hand was living, and conducted several days of interviews with the assistance of Troutman and Mooresville police. During those interviews, Hand made statements that investigators said could be construed as admissions. He told police he had hosted a gathering at his home on the evening Gilpin was last seen and that he knew her from the neighbourhood. He also placed himself at Myles Standish State Park and told investigators he had picked up a 73-pound boulder and dropped it on Gilpin. He subsequently identified the rock in evidence photographs.

Hand was arrested on March 9, 2018, on a fugitive-from-justice charge based on a murder warrant. He waived extradition and was returned to Massachusetts.

"The Gilpin family made it their mission to see that justice was done on behalf of Tracy," DA Cruz said. "They never gave up hope in this pursuit, and today we got that justice." Cruz added that he was hopeful Tracy could "now rest in peace knowing that her killer will spend the rest of his life in prison."

The prosecution was handled by Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, with the assistance of Deputy Director of Victim Services Karen Fahy. The investigation was led by State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, supported by Kingston Police, Plymouth Police, and the Troutman and Mooresville police departments in North Carolina.

Source: Google News JM — Kingston