Today, Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD) spoke out against the decision by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to commute the sentence of Judith Clark, convicted of felony murder in the killing of two Nyack police officers and a Brinks security guard as well as felony robbery.
“The action taken today by Gov. Cuomo to grant clemency to a convicted cop killer is abhorrent,” said Curran. “The brave men and women who serve to protect us as members of our law enforcement agencies deserve our thanks and respect. The governor’s decision in this case to make Judith Clark eligible for parole, 40 years early, shows complete disregard for the memory of officers Waverly Brown and Edward O’Grady, security guard Peter Paige, their families, and law enforcement across the state.”
Clark, the driver of the getaway car in the 1981 robbery was sentenced to 75 years to life for her participation in the crime. She was originally slated to be eligible for parole in 2056, but due to the governor’s action, will be eligible immediately.
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“When I think about the fact that the governor had high praise for Judith Clark and used words like ‘impressive’ to describe her after their meeting, I am utterly dismayed,” said Curran. “The fact that he met with Ms. Clark, but never took the time to speak to the families of her victims is horrendous. It is wrong and this woman should spend the rest of her life behind bars for the murder of these heroes.”
Curran has signed on to a letter, along with several members of the Assembly Minority Conference, to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Supervising Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator to request that parole be denied for Clark. Gov. Cuomo has granted clemency to Judith Clark to make her eligible for release, but the final decision remains with the parole board.
