Kevin J. Lino, left, has been charged in the cold case killings of Gary Melanson, top right, in 2010 and Douglas Clarke in 2012.

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A former Lowell man is facing two murder charges after investigators say he was behind the violent deaths of two homeless men more than a decade ago, authorities announced. 

Kevin Lino, 38, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 54-year-old Gary A. Melanson in Lowell and 30-year-old Douglas Leon Clarke in Cambridge, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced on Wednesday, Aug. 27. 

In 2010, police found Melanson’s body near the Rogers Street Bridge in Lowell. He had suffered multiple visible wounds, but the medical examiner at the time listed the cause of death as “undetermined.” Eight years later, while investigating Lino in a separate case, state police uncovered links to Melanson’s killing. 

Prosecutors said both men were unhoused and staying near the bridge. Lino allegedly attacked Melanson with a metal baseball bat after warning him not to light fires, which Lino believed drew police attention.

In 2012, police found Clarke’s body along the Charles River near Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Toxicology showed high levels of morphine and other substances, and the death was ruled an accidental overdose. Clarke was known to stay in Harvard Square and struggled with substance use.

But years later, investigators uncovered evidence suggesting Lino poisoned Clarke by allegedly giving him a lethal dose of heroin, known as a “hot shot,” the prosecutor said. At the time, both men were part of a group of homeless individuals in the Harvard Square area. Prosecutors said Lino had been trying to push drug users out of the group and had assaulted others earlier that day. After clashing with Clarke, he allegedly offered him heroin strong enough to cause a fatal overdose.

“This defendant is alleged to repeatedly and deliberately victimize some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, unhoused individuals,” District Attorney Ryan said. “The actions alleged in these cases were not only violent and cruel, but inhumane. We recognize the pain and uncertainty endured by the families and friends of Mr. Melanson and Mr. Clarke, who have long awaited answers about what happened to their loved ones. It is our hope that today’s arraignments will bring them a measure of peace.”

Lino was being held without bail, the prosecutor said. He'll return to court on Oct. 3.