Judith Clark, a former member of the domestic terrorist group Weather Underground, was granted parole on April 17. The 69-year-old was convicted of second-degree murder for each of the three officers killed in a 1981 robbery.
Clark’s sentence was commuted from 75-years-to-life to 35-year-to-life in 2016 by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Now, she is on her way out; but state officials are calling the parole board’s decision a disgrace to the justice system.
“[Judith] Clark, if she is truly reformed, may deserve parole after 35 years. Andrew Cuomo deserves only our scorn.” https://t.co/qXjQqfQe9z pic.twitter.com/BjzX4l8o2x
— Manhattan Institute (@ManhattanInst) January 11, 2017
“When it comes to an attack upon the guardians of our society, when it comes to an attack upon the very fabric of our society—you do not get released,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day, former police officer and friend of the victims’ families. “You do not breath free air. Judith Clark is a domestic terrorist.”
Sergeant Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly Brown from the Nyack Police Department were killed during the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in 1981. One of the Brinks security officers was also killed in the attack orchestrated by the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army—another radical left-wing group. Clark was the driver of the getaway vehicle.
In a letter by the parole board to Clark, her actions and disregard for human life were called a disgrace; yet, because of factors such as “her age, the length of time served, her apologies to victims, her disavowal of radical principles and her accomplishments in prison,” she was granted parole.
From Murderer to Accessory
“I don’t know who she was before—I believe she was in her 20s when she committed the crime—but she seemed to me a very sober minded, community oriented person,” said Governor Cuomo during a conference in 2017, defending his action of commuting Clarke’s sentence. “Ms. Clark did not pull the trigger—there’s a difference between being a 20-year-old accessory and actually being a purposeful murderer.”
Because Cuomo called her an accessory, the former homicide commander said that he believes that the governor was misinformed of Clark’s part in the crime. Day explained that Clark was an active participant and active planner in the crime, adding that she reached for a gun when she was apprehended.
But today she is being characterized as a pawn in the robbery.
“The judge at the time, sentenced her [to] a 75-year-to-life sentence for a reason: It was meant to be a life sentence,” said Day.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day calls Judith Clark’s release a “cruel and unjust slap in the face to the families of Sergeant Edward O’Grady, Officer Waverly “Chipper” Brown and Brinks guard Peter Paige.” pic.twitter.com/bzdr2tPiCx
— Joseph Spector (@GannettAlbany) April 17, 2019
Making Peace With Parole
Sgt. John Hanchar was 13 years old when his uncle, Sgt. O’Grady, was killed. And according to the New York Post, he made peace with Clark’s release; but he can’t forgive Cuomo for ignoring the victims’ families.
“He never reached out to us. Instead, he treated us like some kind of nuisance not worth his time,” Hanchar told the Post. “To him, the three dead men were just an afterthought.”
Joined by Day, the sergeant held up a sign with his phone number on it during a rally on the steps of the Rockland County Courthouse in 2017. Although the families weren’t contacted, Day said that they didn’t leave empty-handed.
“But the one thing they do have—and they’ve always known they have—is they have extremely supportive people around them. We gather every year, at 4 p.m. on Oct. 20, to remember the three who died.”
Judith Clark getting out is a disgrace! RIP Police Officer Waverly Brown,Sgt . Edward O’Grady and Security Guard Peter Paige! pic.twitter.com/LEKDadVZQn
— Jim Sullivan (@jimsully12) April 18, 2019
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
