Man convicted of 1986 murder of Tracy Gilpin sentenced to life in prison

Judge Katie Cook Rayburn sentenced Hand to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, Cruz’s office said in a statement. Gilpin, the sister of former Massachusetts State Police Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, was last seen on Oct. 1, 1986 near her home in Kingston after she left a party, according to previous Globe reports. Gilpin’s body was later found in Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth on Oct. 22, 1986.

The cause of her death was a massive skull fracture, Cruz’s office said.

“In March, 2018, State Police traveled to North Carolina to speak with Hand, and together with the assistance of Troutman, N.

C. Police and Mooresville, N.

C. Police, conducted several interviews with Hand over a number of days,” Cruz’s office said in the statement.

“During the interviews, Hand, formerly a Kingston resident, made statements to investigators that could be construed as admissions to the crime.” Hand told police he knew Gilpin and he hosted a gathering at his home the night that she was last seen, according to Cruz’s office.

“Hand made statements to police that put him at the crime scene in Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth, and Hand told police that he picked up a 73-pound boulder and dropped it on Gilpin,” the statement said.

“Hand identified the rock to investigators in evidence photos.” Hand was subsequently arrested on March 9, 2018, and he waived extradition and was returned to Massachusetts, Cruz’s office said.

“The Gilpin family made it their mission to see that justice was done on behalf of Tracy,” Cruz said in a statement.

“They never gave up hope in this pursuit, and today we got that justice. I commend investigators with the Massachusetts State Police and North Carolina Police on their work on this case. I am hopeful that Tracy can now rest in peace knowing that her killer will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. @emilysweeney22.