Lawrence Byrne, brother of assasinated Police Officer Edward Byrne, speaks to the media outside the New York State Parole Board on Friday. (Gregg Vigliotti for New York Daily News)
PBA President Patrick Lynch speaks to NYPD officers outside of the NYS Parole Board, in Midtown Friday, before they wrote victim impact statements, against, five men seeking parole for the murders of two NYPD police officers. (Gregg Vigliotti for New York Daily News)
A cop-killing quartet convicted of murdering a rookie NYPD cop on orders from a Queens drug lord deserves zero chance of parole for the 1988 killing, the police union and the slain officer’s brother said Friday.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association head Patrick Lynch, joined by the older sibling of Officer Edward Byrne, urged the state Parole Board to keep the prison doors closed on David McClary, Scott Cobb, Todd Scott and Phillip Copeland at their November hearings.
“I’m here today to oppose parole for these four evil assassins,” said Lawrence Byrne, recently retired head of the NYPD’s Legal Bureau and brother of the officer gunned down while guarding the home of a Queens drug case witness.
“Every day for over 30 years, my 81-year-old mother grieves over the loss of her son.”
Lynch and Byrne were joined by the siblings of Officer Waverly Jones in also opposing parole for Black Liberation Army killer Anthony Bottom, convicted in the 1971 double murder of the cop and his partner Officer Joseph Piangientini.
“Our lives have never been the same since,” said Manny Jones, who was joined by his sister Gwenna Wright.
Jones was shot five times by Bottom, who then assisted fellow BLA members Herman Bell and Albert Washington as the trio tortured Piagentini by shooting him 22 times as he begged in vain for his life.
Washington died in prison — but Bell was paroled this past April, outraging the NYPD, the PBA and Piagentini’s widow, Diane. The decision raised fears for Jones’ family that his killer could walk as well.
The Byrne shooting, in the wee hours of Feb. 26, 1988, came as the 22-year-old officer sat inside his patrol car. The killers struck after receiving an $8,000 payment from drug kingpin Howard (Pappy) Mason — now serving a mandatory life sentence in federal prison.
“When the city woke up that morning and learned what happened to Eddie, the city and the nation were truly shocked,” recalled Lawrence Byrne, who spoke after delivering his victim impact statement to parole officials.
All four killers were convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. And since 2012, each comes up for parole every two years.
Byrne argued that even rehabilitated cop killers deserved to die behind bars rather than enjoy a minute of freedom.
“It’s important to continue to send the message: if you try to harm a police officer, if you kill a police officer, you will never get out of jail,” he said.