So-called ‘Killer Poet’ Norman Porter dead

DEDHAM, Mass. — A convicted murderer who was known as the “Killer Poet” passed away Wednesday night at Tewksbury Hospital, less than two years after the Massachusetts Parole Board signed off on his release from prison.

Norman Porter, who was found responsible for the 1960 murder of 21-year-old store clerk John Pigott during a robbery in Saugus, as well as the murder of Middlesex County jail master David Robinson during a violent escape the following year, is dead at the age of 83.

Porter was under Parole supervision at the time of his death, a spokesperson with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said.

Porter never returned from a furlough in 1985. On the run for 20 years, he was known as the “other Whitey Bulger.” He was ultimately caught in 2005 in Chicago, where he was living as a poet and activist under the name JJ Jameson.

Porter unsuccessfully filed for parole three times before the Board ultimately granted his release on July 5, 2022.

“It’s hard to be joyful about any of this,” said Dave Robinson, grandson of David Robinson. Dave attended several of Porter’s parole hearings and believes Porter should have died behind bars.

“We’re able to lay some things to rest so there is really a sense of relief. Whether justice has been done or not, I really don’t feel like justice has been served,” Robinson said. “Some of the family’s suffering may be absolved at this point.”

Pigott’s cousin Dottie Johnson also said she feels a sense of relief.

“God is passing judgement on him. He’s either going to spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell and I’m not the final judge,” Johnson said.

During a parole hearing in March 2022, Porter said, “I deeply regret my behavior, my actions. To the families of John Pigott, of Saugus, and David Robinson, of Cambridge, I deeply regret my behavior.”

The board agreed, writing that Porter is “rehabilitated and merits parole at this time.”

“He was served 42 years, 25 of which he served before escaping. He was on the run for 20 years before being returned to custody. The Board notes that Mr. Porter suffers from numerous severe medical conditions,” a Record of Decision stated. “The Board notes he has maintained a significant support network through most of his incarceration. Despite his history of escapes, a former Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Correction testified in support of his release.”

Porter was ultimately released with an approved home plan that called for him to stay put between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. He was also fitted with an electronic monitoring device.

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