Massachusetts convicted murderer who killed taxi driver is granted parole: ‘This man snatched my husband away’

A convicted murderer who slayed a cabbie inside his taxi a killing that “shocked” the community is being freed by the state’s parole board. Allen Alston, formerly known as Allen Scoggins, has been granted parole less than three decades after he shot and killed 56-year-old man Ismael Rivera. “This man (Alston) snatched my husband away like that,” Rivera’s widow, Claire, told the Herald when Alston was arrested in 1997. “My husband loved life, and they took it away from him before he had a chance to live it all out,” Claire added. Alston was 19 years old when he got into Rivera’s taxi in Brockton shortly after 1 a. m. on May 16, 1997. The killer was seen getting into the cab on Wyman Street and then five minutes later, Rivera’s taxi rolled onto a lawn with its lights on and engine running. Alston got out of the cab, leaving Rivera to die from three gunshot wounds. Rivera unsuccessfully tried to get help, as he collapsed not far from his taxi. He was pronounced dead a few minutes later. Investigators suspected that Alston killed Rivera during a botched robbery or a dispute about the fare. About five months after the murder, Alston was arrested in South Carolina and confessed to shooting Rivera. Then in 1998, Alston was convicted of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But last year, he became eligible for parole after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that “emerging adults” who are between 18 and 20 at the time of the crime cannot be sentenced to life without parole. Alston is now 47 years old. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office testified in opposition to Alston’s release at his July parole board hearing. “The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office will continue to fight for victims in all its cases and will continue to oppose the release of violent criminals who have forever harmed those in our communities,” the Plymouth DA’s office said in a statement. Alston is set to be released to a long-term residential program following 90 days in minimum security. Rivera, an El Salvadoran immigrant, was known affectionately to neighborhood kids as “Papa Ish.” “The murder shocked this community,” Michael Sullivan, then the Plymouth DA, said after Alston’s arrest. “Mr. Rivera was well-known by many people in the area and was thought of highly by his family, his neighbors and members of the Brockton community.” Alston has been incarcerated for 28 years. This was Alston’s first appearance before the parole board. “Since his incarceration, he has invested in self-development and rehabilitation,” the parole board wrote. “He began to work on himself well before the Mattis (SJC emerging adults) decision. Mr. Alston has not had a Disciplinary Report in 19 years and has not used any substances during his incarceration. “Mr. Alston demonstrated insight, accountability, and remorse,” the board added. “Mr. Alston has a significant support system to assist him with re-entry. The Board considered the forensic evaluation of Dr. Long, who found Mr. Alston to have low risk for violence and low risk for recidivism. The Board concludes by unanimous decision that Allen Alston has demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.”.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/24/massachusetts-convicted-murderer-who-killed-taxi-driver-is-granted-parole-this-man-snatched-my-husband-away/