A man serving a life sentence for killing Korean shop owner Youngman Kim was granted parole in Massachusetts, despite having 46 prison disciplinary reports and previous rejection by the state’s parole board. Prosecutors are opposing the decision, arguing that the offender remains a high risk for reoffending.
The Massachusetts Parole Board approved parole for Pablo Carambot on the 29th of last month, according to state records. Carambot, now 40, was convicted for the November 21, 2005 shooting death of Youngman Kim, who operated a beauty supply store in Massachusetts. Carambot was sentenced to life in 2008 for second-degree murder, armed robbery, and illegal firearm possession.
Carambot first applied for parole in 2021, but the board rejected the request, citing “overall problems with his conduct in prison.” Local outlet MassLive reported that he had accumulated 46 disciplinary cases involving violence, weapons, and drugs.
During his second review four years later, corrections officials stated that Carambot showed “signs of improvement,” pointing to his participation in a medication-assisted treatment program and completion of multiple correctional programs. The parole board used these assessments as grounds for approval.
Prosecutors in Hampden County immediately challenged the decision. They argued that Carambot’s “lifelong pattern” of drug addiction and gang involvement had not been broken and noted that his separation from prison gangs lasted only one year. They warned that he was likely to return to weapons possession or drug activity if released.
Details of the crime were also revisited during the process. Carambot, who was 20 at the time, entered Kim’s store with accomplice Rodolfo Melendez to steal merchandise. When confronted, Kim swung a baseball bat in self-defense. Carambot then fired a gun at Kim and later discarded the weapon in the Connecticut River.
MassLive reported that Carambot, born in Puerto Rico, had used drugs from a young age and joined gangs at age 12. After moving to the United States at 16, he became involved in robberies and drug trafficking. He previously told investigators that the gun used in the killing was carried for protection during drug transactions.
Under the terms of his parole, Carambot must wear an electronic ankle monitor for at least six months, undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, avoid all contact with Kim’s family, and attend addiction support meetings three times a week.
Carambot was disciplined in 2019 for manufacturing drugs and illicit alcohol in prison but claimed to have maintained “complete abstinence” after entering a treatment program. During his hearing, he acknowledged responsibility, saying his actions caused “pain that can never be undone,” adding that he had violated “both God’s law and human law.”
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
