For the third time, Tomas Maimoni is seeking parole for his role in the death of a Salem woman in 1991.
"I alone am responsible for the death of Martha Brailsford," Maimoni said at a parole hearing Tuesday. "My actions and decisions to dispose of her remains and run are responsible for the narrative."
Prosecutors say he lured Brailsford onto his boat and killed her when she spurned his sexual advances.
A lobsterman found her body weighted down on the seafloor.
But at Maimoni's third parole hearing Tuesday, he claimed he did not intentionally kill Brailsford. Instead, he said she fell into the water when a rogue wave hit his boat and that he tried to save her life.
It's a claim that found the parole board skeptical.
"This tangled mess that you have left, of these incredulous fantastical stories that are self-serving and insulting to the family. I don't know how you are going to undo it," board member Dr. Charlene Bonner said.
Brailsford's husband spoke briefly against Maimoni's attempt at freedom.
"Tom definitely should be in prison for the rest of his life," Brian Brailsford said.
Maimoni was convicted of second degree murder, which is why he is eligible for parole now at 71 years old.
If the parole board denies this request, he can try again in five years.
No word when a decision may come.