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'Fire her': Massachusetts residents erupt after Healey-appointed judge frees two alleged child predators on $0 bail

Monday, March 2, 2026•
6 min read
MDN Staff
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'Fire her': Massachusetts residents erupt after Healey-appointed judge frees two alleged child predators on $0 bail

Mass Daily News' reporting on Judge Cara Krysil's decision to release two men accused of driving to a Lowell hotel to meet a 15-year-old has gone viral, with thousands demanding accountability. (Mass Daily News)

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LOWELL — A Mass Daily News report on a judge who set $0 bail for two men accused of traveling to a Lowell hotel to meet a 15-year-old has sparked intense backlash online, with thousands of Massachusetts residents calling for the judge to be fired and demanding answers from Governor Healey's office.
The original report revealed that Judge Cara Krysil released both men on personal recognizance after they were arrested in an internet sting operation. Both walked free the next day.
When MDN followed up with a second post noting that Judge Krysil was appointed by Governor Maura Healey in 2024 and that one of the arrested men required a Portuguese interpreter at his arraignment, the response was immediate and overwhelming.
That post has racked up over 100,000 views, 4,600 likes and nearly 300 replies in a matter of hours, with the reaction from readers almost universally furious. The original article tweet pulled in over 900 likes and 126 replies of its own.

'Fire her'

The comments section reads like a town hall that's gone completely off the rails. Readers are demanding the judge be removed, calling for criminal charges against her, and tagging everyone from ICE to the FBI to Elon Musk.
Others connected the decision directly to Governor Healey, who appointed Krysil to the bench.

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'Why do they hate us?'

Beyond the calls for the judge's removal, many replies reflected a deeper frustration with Massachusetts' political establishment and its approach to criminal justice.
Some took aim at the broader political system that produced the appointment.

The story that set it off

The original MDN report detailed how two men were caught in an internet sting operation after allegedly arranging to meet what they believed was a 15-year-old at a Lowell hotel. Both showed up with cash. Both were arrested. And both were released on $0 bail the next day by Judge Krysil.
The detail that one of the accused required a Portuguese interpreter at his arraignment added another layer to the backlash, with readers questioning how someone who does not speak English ended up arranging to meet a minor at a Massachusetts hotel.

A pattern of frustration

The reaction fits a broader pattern of growing public anger at Massachusetts judges over bail decisions. The state's bail system has faced criticism from both sides, with progressives arguing it penalizes the poor and conservatives arguing it puts the public at risk.
In this case, the criticism is coming from one direction: nearly every reply expresses disbelief that two men accused of attempting to meet a child for sex were released without having to post a single dollar in bail.
Neither Judge Krysil's office nor Governor Healey's office has publicly responded to the backlash.

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