NY attack points out the flaws in parole system
We’re learning more about the 38-year-old man arrested for attacking a 65-year-old Asian American woman in New York this week.
And none of it is good. Brandon Elliot was taken into custody early Wednesday morning in connection with the vicious assault on Vilma Kari as she was on her way to church Monday. The horrifying incident was caught on surveillance video, Fox’s New York affiliate reported. Elliot should be familiar with the booking process — he was convicted of killing his mother nearly 20 years ago.
According to reports, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2002 after fatally stabbing his mother in front of his 5-yearold sister in the Bronx, said Patrice O’Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for the Bronx district attorney.
He got a minimum of 15 years to life.
Elliot went up for parole in February 2017 and was denied. He tried again in December 2018 with the same result, according to a state Department of Corrections official.
But as the New York Post reports, he got the all clear in September 2019, and was out on lifetime parole in December.
How did someone convicted of killing his mother in front of his 5-year-old sister serve 16 years and then get shown the door?
Elliot was living a hotel that served as a homeless shelter, and according to N.Y. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, that’s where the problem lies.
“For the life of me, I don’t understand why we are releasing or pushing people out of prison — not to give them second chances, but to put them into homeless facilities or shelters, or in this case a hotel — and expect good outcomes,” Shea said at a news conference Wednesday. “We need real opportunities.
We need real safety nets.”
We need people who’ve committed heinous crimes and are threats to the public to remain behind bars.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said prosecutors will seek to have Elliot jailed without bail pending trial. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, Vance said.
Given the prevailing progressive view about the evils of bail, we wouldn’t be surprised if Elliot is back on the streets. Nor would it be a shocker if, should he be convicted, Elliot doesn’t serve the whole 25-year sentence.
Yes, criminals who’ve paid their debt to society should have help transitioning to a fruitful life outside. But they need to pay for their crimes first, and 16 years for murdering one’s mother in front of a child doesn’t fit. One can get up to 25 years in New York for grand larceny.
Detectives’ Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo called out local officials.
“When New York politicians and their parole board think it’s a good idea to release a murderer who killed his mother — they certainly can’t pretend to be surprised he brutally attacked a woman in Midtown,” he said. “It’s about time the City Council, State Assembly and Governor be held accountable for their irresponsible laws and decisions. New Yorkers are clearly not safe because of them. They need to fix what they broke.”
Lieutenants Benevolent Association President Lou Turco added: “You can’t make it up. Do we need any more proof that the failed policies of our elected officials are leading to more New Yorkers being injured and killed? When are we going to hold our elected leaders accountable? Reimagine elected officials.”
Such horrors don’t just happen in New York, as criminals here have also been arrested for assaults and murder while on parole.
We need to reimagine parole.