A Massachusetts man faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison for murdering his wife last year, four decades after he was convicted of killing a previous spouse.
At age 68, Kenneth Robson was handed a sentence of 25 years to life in state prison Tuesday after admitting to second-degree murder in the death of his 45-year-old wife, Quitzia Holmes, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office announced.
The fatal attack occurred in the early morning hours of April 30, 2024, when Robson called 991, identifying himself and saying he had “hit his wife with a hammer and she might be dead.”
When police arrived at the apartment in Springfield, they found Holmes lying face down in a pool of blood, suffering from “catastrophic” head injuries and defensive wounds, according to Boston.com. A blood-stained hammer was found nearby.
Holmes was taken to Baystate Medical Center, where she died several weeks later.
During the investigation, Robson reportedly told authorities he believed he had taken drugs that were not what he expected, and tried to blame his actions on their effects.
However, this was not Robson’s first involvement in a spousal homicide case. In 1984, he was convicted of murdering his then-wife, Joan Cusson. According to the DA’s office, Robson recieved a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison for the killing. The Massachusetts Department of Correction confirmed to Boston.com that he was released in May 1995.
Members of Cusson’s family attended every court proceeding in the Holmes case, voicing outrage that Robson had been released from prison previously and was able to kill again.
“This was a brutal and senseless attack that ended the life of Quitiza Holmes, a woman who should still be with her family and community today,” Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a statement. “I want to express my deepest condolences to her loved ones, and I thank the Springfield Police Department and our prosecutors for their work in holding this defendant accountable.”
