PAROLE PROPERLY RESCINDED BASED UPON PETITIONER’S BEHAVIOR AT THE RESCISSION HEARING AND VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS PROVIDED AFTER PETITIONER HAD BEEN RELEASED (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department determined petitioner-inmate’s release on parole was properly rescinded based upon his behavior at the rescission hearing and victim impact statements. The victim’s family had not be notified of the initial parole hearing and therefore had not submitted victim impact statement prior to petitioner’s release:
In October 1995, petitioner approached a vehicle at the end of his driveway that contained his friend Steven Sedore and petitioner’s ex-wife, who were there to pick up the daughter of petitioner and his ex-wife. Petitioner shot and killed Sedore as he sat in the vehicle, and viciously attacked his ex-wife, causing serious injuries. Petitioner ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and attempted manslaughter in the first degree and was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of 20 to 40 years. …
… [W]e disagree with Supreme Court’s finding that respondent improperly relied upon these statements solely because they were submitted after his open release date had been set. The court based this determination upon the Court of Appeals’ decision in Matter of Costello v New York State Bd. of Parole (23 NY3d 1002 [2014]), in which the Court concluded that respondent improperly rescinded a parole release based upon information in victim impact statements that had been submitted after it had set an open release date … . … [W]e do not interpret the Court’s decision as precluding respondent from ever considering victim impact statements submitted after an open release date has been granted in determining whether parole should be rescinded … .
The victim impact statements at issue were submitted by three of Sedore’s sisters and a brother-in-law. One of the sisters had already provided an impact statement at petitioner’s sentencing hearing, but the other family members had not done so. The statements submitted by the other sisters referenced specific threats that petitioner had made to them — including during sentencing where he allegedly pointed his finger at one sister and mouthed the words “you are dead,” and also ran his finger across his throat while looking at the family. One of the sisters also stated that petitioner sent her letters and a get well card from prison when she was in the hospital, which made her feel uncomfortable knowing that “he knew everything that was going on in my life.” These incidents, which had not previously been disclosed, constitute “significant information” and provide substantial evidence supporting respondent’s rescission of parole … . Matter of Thorn v New York State Bd. of Parole, 2017 NY Slip Op 08566, Third Dept 12-7-17
CRIMINAL LAW (PAROLE PROPERLY RESCINDED BASED UPON PETITIONER’S BEHAVIOR AT THE RESCISSION HEARING AND VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS PROVIDED AFTER PETITIONER HAD BEEN RELEASED (THIRD DEPT))/PAROLE (RESCISSION, PAROLE PROPERLY RESCINDED BASED UPON PETITIONER’S BEHAVIOR AT THE RESCISSION HEARING AND VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS PROVIDED AFTER PETITIONER HAD BEEN RELEASED (THIRD DEPT))/VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS (PAROLE PROPERLY RESCINDED BASED UPON PETITIONER’S BEHAVIOR AT THE RESCISSION HEARING AND VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS PROVIDED AFTER PETITIONER HAD BEEN RELEASED (THIRD DEPT))