Dartmouth Mall Murderer to Be Paroled

DARTMOUTH — A man sentenced to life in prison after killing a man by running him over with his own truck at the Dartmouth Mall parking lot in October 1991 is now set to be released.

Charles Chase III was convicted by jury of second degree murder and other charges — including theft of a motor vehicle and larceny — in the death of Albert Renauld, which took place while Chase was on parole.

In a Jan. 18 decision, the state's parole board voted to release Chase from prison next year — despite having denied him parole in 2021, due in part to concerns over his affiliation with a white supremacy group in prison.

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On Oct. 22, 1991, Chase and a co-defendant, Roy Farias, went to the Dartmouth Mall, where Chase broke into a tool truck belonging to Renauld, jimmied the ignition and started the engine.

Eyewitnesses said Chase accelerated quickly, with squealing tires — even as Renauld came out of the mall and started running towards his truck.

As the 24-year-old peeled out of the parking lot, he drove directly toward Renauld without slowing down, according to court documents.

The truck door hit the victim in the chest and stomach, throwing Renauld into the air and leaving him lying on the ground.

Chase drove away from the mall and Renauld died the next day from head injuries.

Police recovered the truck after the incident and Chase was eventually caught on an unrelated armed robbery charge in Easton.

He had been released on supervised probation at the time of Renauld's murder, according to a previous parole board decision denying Chase parole in 2021.

In 1993 Chase was convicted and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.

He was also convicted for motor vehicle theft and larceny in the mall incident, and received a separate 1994 conviction on multiple counts of armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

The 2021 parole board decision noted that Chase had a "concerning" record while incarcerated, including 19 years spent in a disciplinary unit and around 200 disciplinary reports.

Board members also questioned him on his membership in a white supremacy group, which he said he started.

But he also told board members he "no longer has 'those beliefs' and has since disassociated from that group," the parole board wrote in 2021.

Despite "recent progress" in his conduct and engagement with multiple rehabilitative programs, board members decided to deny him parole in that instance.

But now, according to the board's Jan. 18 decision, Chase — now 56 years old — has shown "dramatically improved" behavior, and he has completed "significant programming" to help control his anger and impulsivity.

Following a year in a lower-security facility, Chase is set for release on conditions including drug and alcohol testing, electronic monitoring, and a ban on contact or association with any hate group or gang.