CONTACT: Nathan Lederman 508-584-8120
NATICK – The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office appeared before the Parole Board yesterday to oppose the release of a defendant convicted of killing a young man with a hammer in the late 1980s, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
In December 1989, Edward R. Voisine III — now known as Teresa Brugliera — was found guilty of First-Degree Murder, Burglary, Larceny from a Building, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle and Burning of a Motor Vehicle, in connection with the brutal murder of David Regan, 25, in March 1988. A co-defendant — Corey Bunch — was convicted of Accessory After the Fact of Murder among other charges while two other co-defendants — David Baker and Greg Hodges — received a suspended sentence and case dismissal respectively for providing testimony against Brugliera.
On the weekend of March 12, 1988, a 19-year-old Brugliera called an ex-girlfriend and relayed to her that they were at a home in Whitman and “he felt like he wanted to kill someone.” After abruptly ending the call, Brugliera called back and stated, “It’s done. I did it.” A few days later, Brugliera’s ex-girlfriend heard the defendant boast that his weightlifting sessions were working, due to the ease with which he was able to fracture the victim’s skull with a hammer on the first attempt.
In the days following the homicide, Brugliera drove the victim’s car and kept several items stolen from Regan’s home, including articles of clothing, a watch and the victim’s credit cards. Brugliera later enlisted the help of the co-defendants to burn the victim’s car in an effort to destroy evidence. When the victim’s burned vehicle was discovered, law enforcement contacted the victim’s mother to inquire about the car. The victim’s mother rushed to her son’s home, where she found him deceased. An autopsy confirmed that the victim died as result of blunt force trauma to the head. Investigative efforts by several local law enforcement agencies, and tips from the public, eventually tied Brugliera to the murder. He was arrested by Massachusetts State Police on March 21, 1988. At the time of the arrest, Brugliera was wearing the victim’s watch and Sacred Heart High School ring.
The defendant’s first-degree murder conviction resulted in a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, in 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held in Commonwealth v. Mattis that a sentence of life without a possibility of parole is unconstitutional as applied to “emerging adults” between the ages of 18 and 20. As a result of this decision, Brugliera became eligible for a parole hearing.
Brugliera appeared before the Parole Board at a hearing yesterday afternoon, and the Board will render a decision in the coming months.