Critics are raising alarms over proposed parole legislation in Albany that could potentially grant freedom to some of history’s most notorious criminals, such as Mark David Chapman, who assassinated John Lennon, and David Berkowitz, infamously known as the “Son of Sam” serial killer.
The Elder Parole bill is under scrutiny for its potential to allow violent offenders to bypass their minimum sentences. This legislation proposes that inmates could be eligible for parole hearings once they reach the age of 55 and have served 15 years of their sentence, regardless of the gravity of their offenses.
Another contentious proposal, the Fair and Timely Parole bill, would mandate the state parole board to release inmates unless they pose a “current” threat to public safety, without considering the nature of their past crimes.
The implications of these bills have sparked concern that even those sentenced to life imprisonment could be released, sparking debates over public safety and justice.
“Think about some of the most notorious individuals currently incarcerated; if these bills are enacted, they could be released within the next two years,” a law enforcement source cautioned.
The Elder Parole bill is championed by Sen. Cordell Cleare of Manhattan and Assemblywoman Maritza Davilla of Brooklyn, both Democrats, as they push forward this controversial legislation.
Under the measure, inmates who are sprung are entered into community supervision as if they served their full sentence. If they are rejected for parole, they must be informed in writing “as to the factors and reasons for the denial” — and automatically get a new chance at freedom after two years.
Every two years, victims’ families would be dragged back to the parole board to fight against the release of their loved one’s killer.
The Fair and Timely Parole bill’s lead sponsors are radical socialist state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens).
The legislation makes it much easier for jailbirds to be set free provided they’re model prisoners – no matter how bloodthirsty their crime.
The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice, which is advocating for both bills, says Salazar and Weprin’s legislation would “provide more meaningful parole reviews.”
Olivia Murphy, a violent crime survivor and policy and communications associate for Release Aging People in Prison, defended both bills, saying inmates “who have taken accountability for their crimes and done the hard work of transforming their thinking and behavior” should be freed.
“The evidence is clear that forcing completely rehabilitated elders to spend their final years in prison costs a fortune and delivers zero public safety benefit,” said Murphy, whose advocacy campaign is funded by billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and other far-left groups.
“They have the lowest rates of reoffending once released and the highest incarceration costs.”
Raphael Mangual, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, believes both measures are gaining steam in Albany and could pass as soon as this year.
“I think it’s a real risk, especially given the recent decline in crime in New York City,” he said. “I think that might have led to a space where people might be more tolerant than they were five years ago of engaging in this kind of experiment.”
He added: “It really shouldn’t matter how well somebody behaves in prison. You should have behaved before you got there.
“You hear people who will say with very full confidence, including the advocates, that the likelihood of a person reoffending zeros out in older age,” he said. “No it doesn’t. A majority of state prisoners who are released will reoffend.”
The sibling of one murder victim found it unbelievable that his brother’s psychotic killer could be released after serving only 15 years of a 25 years-to-life sentence.
“My brother was brutally tortured to death throughout the night,” said Michael Pravia, the brother of 19-year-old Pace University student Kevin Pravia, who was murdered in 2008. “You know, I just feel like we’re living in a time where it feels like it’s another form of corruption, you know, letting these devils out of prison to harass the masses.
“They will have blood on their hands,” Pravia said of the legislators who pass the bills.
His brother’s killer, homeless drifter Jeromie Cancel, is in Auburn Correctional Facility.
“He was proud of his crimes,” said Pravia, whose brother was living near Union Square when he was choked with an electrical cord after inviting Cancel into his home.
Cancel smiled and laughed at his sentencing in 2010, sending the victim’s brother into a fury. “I’ll f—ing kill you, mother-f—er!” Pravia screamed at him in Manhattan Criminal Court.
“There is not one ounce of me that thinks he is rehabilitated or has the ability to be rehabilitated,” Pravia, 34, said Thursday. “I think he is truly a sociopath. He’s bragged that he would do it again.”
If the Fair and Timely bill passes, Cancel is likely to get out if he has a clean prison record, the law enforcement source said.
It’s not clear if Gov. Kathy Hochul, who’s running for reelection and needs liberal NYC to support her, would veto the two parole-reform bills.
A Hochul rep declined to elaborate on where Hochul stands on both pieces of legislation but said the “governor is committed to ensuring the safety of New Yorkers and will review any bill that passes both houses of the Legislature.”
Presumptive Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman said he vehemently opposes bills and accused Hochul of pushing for the release of killers.
“Kathy Hochul has fast-tracked the release of violent criminals — even those who’ve killed police officers – and will certainly grant ‘get out of jail free’ cards to even more dangerous thugs,” the Nassau County executive said. “The Hochul pro-criminal era ends the day I take office.”
Another killer who could be released is cop-killer David McClary, who was sentenced to 25 years to life for assassinating rookie NYPD officer Edward Byrne as he sat in his car guarding the home of a witness in a Queens drug case in 1988.
Howard “Pappy” Mason, an infamous New York City drug kingpin, was convicted for ordering McClary to kill the young police officer.
McClary, who was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for pulling the trigger, is 60 years old and serving his time at Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County.
McClary has been denied parole eight times since becoming eligible in 2013, forcing the victim’s family to argue repeatedly to keep him behind bars.
His release is opposed by the Police Benevolent Association, which has been fighting a wave of 43 cop killer releases since 2017 when parole guidelines were modified to place greater emphasis on an inmate’s “progress” in prison rather than the severity of their crime.
PBA President Patrick Hendry said, “Passing either of these bills would be a cruel and despicable blow to the families of our fallen heroes.
“There is no age and no formula that can absolve cop-killers of their heinous crimes or entitle them to rejoin society,” Hendry said. “We will fight tooth and nail alongside the families of our murdered police officers to ensure [these two bills] do not become law.”
