Recalling 1989 Murder,
Senator Unveils GOP’s
Victim’s Justice Agenda
Jill Gibbons’ Death Inspired Package
ALBANY – State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, today joined members of the Senate Republican Conference to unveil the “Victims’ Justice Agenda.”
The package of bills would reform the parole system to keep violent criminals behind bars without parole and ease the parole process for suffering victims, families and the public.
“To understand how this law would work you need to look no further than the murder of 18-year-old Gillian ‘Jill’ Gibbons in 1989 in Oneonta,” said Seward. “The convicted killer David Dart has had three parole hearing since 2014 and will be eligible for another next year.
“Dart is a confessed murderer who has threatened the victim’s sister and would be a danger to the community if he were released. There is no reason why criminals who have committed such heinous offenses should be allowed the privilege of a parole hearing every two years,” he said.
Among the bills included in the “Victims’ Justice Agenda” package, is Senate bill 4354 co-sponsored by Senator Seward which would allow the New York State Parole Board to extend the period of time between reconsidering parole board denials from two years to five years when the inmate was sentenced for a violent crime.
In many cases, especially murder and other violent offenses, parole is denied multiple times and extending the time frame for reconsideration would give the parole board greater discretion in setting hearing dates.
“Acts of traumatic violence take a toll on a family and forcing individuals to needlessly relive a horrendous crime like murder every two years is cruel and extreme. Victims and their families should be allowed to heal and this legislation is a very small measure to help with that process,” Seward added.
The Senate has passed this legislation in each of the last six years with bi-partisan support, but the assembly has never voted on the measure. Companion legislation (A.6483) has been introduced in the Assembly where it has nearly 40 sponsors.
Please note that my sister’s murderer is up for parole THIS NOVEMBER! The parole board only gave him 19 months instead of the maximum of 24 months-which is still a joke!
Other families that are in my family’s shoes have to open these horrible wounds and go to the parole board, which is ONE PERSON and a stenographer! It’s not like it is when you watch a tv show. I don’t get to face that piece of scum and tell him how many lives he has ruined!
NYS needs to revisit the maximum penalty for 2nd degree murder! It’s only 25 years to life…which means that if the killer is a good prisoner, he gets 24 years and 6 months….and the family has to go in front of ONE person in Albany and beg that PERSON to keep him behind bars…the parole board that decides the fate of the murderer never even see the family! They don’t get to see and hear our pain!!! They read the transcript, that’s it!
I find this appalling and disgusting! Something needs to be changed!
Coming this late summer, early fall, I will be everywhere I can be to get the word out to keep this MONSTER BEHIND BARS! Not just for my sister, Gillian, but for your daughters, nieces, neighbors daughters, your granddaughters and for women everywhere!
He murdered my sister “because she was there. If it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else”! Tell me that’s not a confession of a REPEAT OFFENDER?!?!