Newsweek reporter Jenna Sundel notes that Lino has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2010 killing of Gary A. Melanson, 54, and the 2012 killing of Douglas Leon Clarke, 30. Both men were homeless. Both deaths were initially misclassified.
A Trail of Violence Begins in Lowell
The 2010 killing of Gary Melanson was the first known case. Melanson’s body was found near a homeless encampment by the Rogers Street Bridge in Lowell. Though Melanson suffered visible injuries, the medical examiner ruled his cause of death “undetermined.”
Cold case detectives later learned of Lino’s possible involvement after a 2018 investigation uncovered new links. Prosecutors now believe Lino fatally beat Melanson with a metal baseball bat during a dispute over campfire smoke that Lino feared would attract police.
Deadly “Hot Shot” in Cambridge
In 2012, Douglas Leon Clarke died on the banks of the Charles River. Toxicology reports at the time suggested an overdose. But years later, investigators revisited the case and concluded Clarke may have been deliberately given a fatal heroin dose — a method known as a “hot shot.”
