Westchester Cop Killer To Be Paroled After 46 Years Behind Bars

LARCHMONT, NY — Anthony Blanks, who murdered Larchmont Officer Arthur DeMatte in 1976, is scheduled to be released on parole.

The villages of Mamaroneck and Larchmont are home to a handful of so-called "pocket" parks, but none quite as special as the Arthur DeMatte Memorial Park.

The words on the plaque honoring Patrolman Arthur DeMatte read, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." The marker pays tribute to the Larchmont police officer who was killed in the line of duty on October 12, 1976.

Now, the Missouri man who killed DeMatte with his own gun is set to be released on parole, despite public outcry against his release, according to the NY Post. Anthony Blanks could leave Sing Sing as soon as Oct. 18 after completing a community reintegration program, the state Department of Correction and Community Supervision told the newspaper.

The now 69-year-old Blanks was convicted of first-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

According to The New York Times report at the time, the 20-year veteran of the force was just a year from retirement when he was killed by a transient he was attempting to remove from busy MTA train tracks who got a hold of his gun and shot him. DeMatte's killer was caught trying to flee the scene of the crime in DeMatte's patrol car while the 46-year-old lay dying nearby.

DeMatte had a wife and four children, including a ten-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, at home at the time he was killed.

Blanks later said he was homeless and had not eaten in two days and was high on PCP at the time of the murder, according to the Post. He was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison and became eligible for parole in 2001. He remained behind bars for another 21 years, in part because of strong opposition to his release by DeMatte’s family and the Larchmont police union.

Larchmont PBA president Officer Dan Calapai told the Westchester Journal News that Blanks’ release from prison could be a result of the state’s switch from holding parole hearings every nine months instead of the traditional two years. More frequent hearings made it more difficult for people opposing parole to voice their concerns in time, he told the newspaper.

"Our feelings are definitely that this is politically driven and it’s failing victims’ families," Calapai told LoHud.