Gardner Father Beaten to Death With Pipe; Former Neighbor Convicted Of Murder

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A jury has found a 40-year-old Worcester County man guilty of beating a 56-year-old Gardner father to death with a pipe, authorities announced.

Matthew J. Vanier, 40, was convicted after prosecutors said he attacked Randy S. Vaillancourt inside Vaillancourt's Nicholas Street home in 2017, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said. He faces a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole when he's sentenced on Dec. 2, 2025.

Authorities have alleged that Vanier, a drug-addicted former neighbor of Vaillancourt, robbed and beat him to death with a metal pipe two nights earlier, before hastily discarding his Red Sox jacket atop the pipe outside a friend’s house nearby, prosecutors said.

The medical examiner ruled Vaillancourt’s death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma. Investigators also said some of his personal property was missing.

Vanier was first charged in 2017 and has been in custody since his arraignment. During his eight years in custody, Vanier repeatedly lied to investigators, accusing multiple other people of killing Vaillancourt.

Vaillancourt left behind a daughter, whom he loved deeply, his obituary said.

"Randy loved watching wrestling and western movies," his family said. "He also enjoyed listening to country music, playing card games, and doing jigsaw puzzles. His greatest enjoyment was spending time with family and friends."