43°
Judith Clark, the getaway driver in the infamous Brinks robbery in 1981 that left two Nyack police officers and a Brinks guard dead, is scheduled for a parole hearing this week.
Judith Clark, 70, who is petitioning the court for early release after serving more than 36 years at Bedford Correctional Facility, was denied parole last year.
Her attorney's appealed the decision and state Supreme Court Justice John Kelley found that the board had violated the law by not focusing on Clark's achievements while behind bars. His decision was overruled by a state appellate court.
The hearing is set for Wednesday, officials said.
During the crime, the robbers shot Brink's guard Peter Paige dead while stealing $1.6 million in cash from the armored car at the Nanuet Mall in Nanuet. The fleeing suspects were eventually trapped at a roadblock in Nyack, where the second gunfight occurred and the two officers -- Sgt. Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly “Chipper” Brown -- were killed at a roadblock in Nyack. Brown was the first African-American member of the Nyack Police Department.
Seriously wounded in the Nanuet attack was Brink's guard Joseph Trombino. He survived, only to be killed in 2001 in the 9/11 attacks.
Clark was a radical political activist in the 1960s and ‘70s. A member of the Weather Underground Organization, she took part in many political agitation and criminal activities.
Family members and law enforcement officials still oppose Clark's release.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day, a former NYPD officer, said on Tuesday, April 2, that as a member of law enforcement at the time of this incident, he strongly believes Clark deserves the same sentence she inflicted on her victims.
"It was clearly the intention of the presiding Justice, at the time, that this woman spend the rest of her life behind bars to pay her debt to society and I see no reason to second guess that decision now," Day said.
"To allow Judith Clark, a domestic terrorist, to walk free would be 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. The conduct of Judith Clark - and her fellow radicals - was so abhorrent, it simply warrants the imposition of life in prison to ensure that justice is served and society is protected.”
But members of a large coalition of supporters who have garnered letters and statements in favor of her release are also voicing their opinions including one of the victims.
Norma Hill, a victim of the Brinks robbery who testified against Ms. Clark at trial, submitted her third letter in support of release, wrote that Ms. Clark over many years of their relationship, has “constantly expressed her remorse to me,” and “tried to make peace without ever forgetting her participation” in the Brinks robbery.
Hill urged the Board to “look at the whole person and not just the crime,” and to allow Clark to be released.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mahopac and receive free news updates.
