FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — The Fall River woman sentenced to life in prison for killing her girlfriend nearly 44 years ago will soon be released, 12 News has learned.

Robin Murphy, who was granted parole on Monday, was 17 years old when she assisted with the murder of 20-year-old Karen Mardsen in the woods near a Westport beach. She is also believed to be involved in the high-profile murders of two other women: Doreen Levesque and Barbara Raposa. (The murders are the subject of a 2021 docuseries called “ Fall River .”)

This was Murphy’s eighth time before the Massachusetts Parole Board, which determined that she has “demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make her release was compatible with the welfare of society.”

Murphy, now 61, had already been released in 2004, but returned to custody in 2011 for violating the terms of her parole, according to the board’s decision .

The board explained that Murphy has since “engaged in a significant amount of programming to address her trauma history, victim empathy, emotional wellbeing and addiction.”

“She is willing to try and rectify the harm she has caused,” the board’s decision states, noting that Murphy has been “presented with a re-entry plan that will meet her needs.”

Murphy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole nearly a year after Mardsen’s body was found mutilated. Murphy was initially charged with first-degree murder, but struck a deal with prosecutors in exchange for testifying against Carl Drew, a Fall River pimp and satanic cult leader, according to court documents .

Drew was sentenced to life in prison without parole as a result of Murphy’s testimony, as was Andrew Maltais, who she claimed killed Raposa in November 1979.

Court documents show that in December 1979, Murphy and Mardsen were living together in Fall River and were involved with several known pimps, sex workers and drug abusers, including Drew and another man.

In February 1980, another woman drove Murphy, Mardsen, Drew and Davis to Family Beach in Westport. Court documents state that, when Drew ordered Murphy to take Mardsen out of the car, she dragged her by her hair and neck into the woods.

Murphy helped Drew bludgeon Mardsen with rocks before slitting her throat, according to court documents. Drew reportedly snapped Mardsen’s neck and decapitated her after Murphy had already killed her.

Court documents note that Murphy was arrested after making several incriminating statements to friends regarding Mardsen’s death.

Though others were charged in Mardsen’s murder, Drew and Murphy were the only two convicted.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said he’s “very disappointed” in the board’s decision to release Murphy.

“This was a brutal murder,” Quinn said. “[Murphy] has previously violated parole, and repeatedly lied in court proceedings and to the parole board. She still does not accept the responsibility for her role in the murder of Karen Marsden, who was decapitated.”

Murphy retracted her testimony in 1985 and has maintained her innocence ever since, stating she only agreed to testify so Drew and Maltais would go to prison. The board noted that it has denied her parole in the past due to concerns over whether she was being truthful.

“Murphy acknowledges that her history of dishonesty has been a barrier to her release,” the board states. “She acknowledges that, due to her pattern of dishonesty, many people have been harmed.”

Murphy will be released two weeks from the board’s decision, “but not before District Attorney clearance.” She must follow a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. curfew, wear a GPS monitoring device for 90 days and undergo mental health counseling for co-dependency.

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