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No parole for cop killers - Irish American NYPD officer Edward Byrne’s killers up for review

Online petition wants no parole for killers of Irish American NYPD cop

Published Friday, September 21, 2012, 7:21 AM

Updated Friday, September 21, 2012, 7:21 AM

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NYPD officer Edward Byrne

It seems totally preposterous that four animals who proudly shot and killed an Irish American cop in Queens back in 1988 could ever be given the chance to once again prowl the streets, but that’s exactly what could happen when the killers of NYPD Officer Edward Byrne come up for parole later this year.

Byrne, only 22, was assassinated by drug thugs in the early morning hours of February 26, 1988 in Jamaica as he sat in a patrol car, by himself, keeping watch over the home of a brave family planning to testify against local drug gangs that made their streets so terrifying.

Byrne, the grandson of Irish immigrants from Wicklow and the son of a cop, never had a chance. The lowlifes snuck up on his car, distracted him and pumped five bullets into his head before he could ever respond.

The shocking murder of the rookie cop attracted worldwide headlines. New York City was one of the most dangerous large cities in the world at the time, and Byrne’s killing only served to reinforce that fact.

More than 10,000 cops from the U.S. and abroad attended Byrne’s funeral, his grieving parents received a personal call from President Reagan, and the outrage eventually helped to mobilize the political will to finally tackle the rising crime wave throughout New York City.

The reaction of Byrne’s killers to all of the above? Laughter. Joy. Celebration. They killed a young NYPD officer, after all. They were heroes among a certain sub-human species that prizes drugs and guns and lawlessness above all else.

New York State sentencing guidelines at the time tied the judge’s hands, unfortunately, and the assassins were each given terms of 25 years to life. And now they are up for parole.

We strongly urge our readers to stand up and make their voices heard by contacting the New York State Parole Board and urging that these killers never, ever have a chance to see the light of day again.

As Edward Byrne’s brother Larry says in this week’s Irish Voice, the first parole board hearing is especially crucial because, shockingly, the killers will be entitled to a parole review every two years.

The file of letters and comments currently being compiled for the first hearing will have to be reviewed by all subsequent boards, so it’s vital that we all take a few minutes out of our day to let board members know that these cop killers need to stay exactly where they are, with the keys to their cells thrown away for good.

The Byrne family typifies the story of the Irish in America. Work hard for everything you have, play by the rules, contribute back to the society you live in with public service.

But the story of their beloved son and brother, Eddie, had a horribly tragic ending. Imagine the unbearable trauma of suddenly losing a young man in the prime of his life who had goals and hopes and dreams that will never be realized.

The Byrnes will never get parole from the life sentence they’ve had to endure, a life without Eddie. So why should the brutes who gunned him down have even a glimmer of hope that someday they’ll be released?

The good news is that we all have an opportunity to honor Edward Byrne’s sterling memory. You can sign an online petition posted by the TV station WPIX, or you can write a letter of your own which you can read more about in Page 4 of this week’s issue.

We owe it to the Byrne family, who made the ultimate sacrifice, and we owe it to our city and country to make ourselves heard loud and clear – Police Officer Edward Byrne’s killers must rot in jail for the rest of their miserable lives.

Nster.com

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8 Comments

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test1 | Sep 25, 2012, 01:29 AM EDT

No Parole

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Smyrnian | Sep 22, 2012, 06:38 AM EDT

No parole.

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Magdaleno | Sep 21, 2012, 10:10 PM EDT

The article responds to officer Edward Byrne's killers who are up for parole... some of you have the wrong wave length. Think again, no Parole.

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Smyrnian | Sep 21, 2012, 04:05 PM EDT

Make that sociopathic, blindly ignorant, uneducated and wholeheartedly racist. I feel sorry for you. PA I never hurt anyone or supported anyone who did; so much for your assumptions.

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johnnymac12 | Sep 21, 2012, 02:38 PM EDT

I am neither angry, uneducated or racist. Your bankrupt banana republic has had to rely on the support of the British people for far too long and the only way you could pay for their generosity was to shoot their Policemen in the back or blow them up with hidden bombs, fully backed by your government in Dublin and your ira/sf supporters in America. You also murdered women, children and unborn twins along with any Irish person who had the guts to speak out against the murdering b******S of ira/sf. Irish/Ammerican republican supporters funded and still support these murderers as they carry out their ethnic cleansing policy against the protestant population in around the border areas of South Armagh etc. So much for ira/sf's peace policy which appears to be 'if you don't agree with what we say you know what your fate will be' see disappeared!!! Your God may be thanked as you think it is over, but as the old saying goes:- don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

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Smyrnian | Sep 21, 2012, 01:58 PM EDT

The 10:45 post is simply the ranting of an angry, uneducated, racist individual who clearly never gave thought to who the "terrorists" were; perhaps it was the British armies who invaded our country, killed our people in droves, burned our towns and villages, outlawyed or land and religion and tried to extermiante us by "laissez faire" starvation. It has been difficult for the Irish people to arise from these 800 years of exploitation and cultural destruction at the hands of the British invading forces. Thank God it is now behind us and we are at peace. Soon, I hope, ignorant racists clowns like the one who posted the 10:45 rant will be a thing of the past.

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slainte9 | Sep 21, 2012, 10:56 AM EDT

Why does Irish Central allow the British KKK to post hate speech like the 9/21, 10:45 post.

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johnnymac12 | Sep 21, 2012, 10:45 AM EDT

I find it deplorable that the Irish in America have the gall to even publish this story in so far that" the Byrne family typify the story of the Irish in America. Work hard for everything you have, play by the rules,contribute back to the community you live in with public service". The Irish in America supported and funded the murdering b******s of ira in its murderous campaign in Northern Ireland against the Royal Ulster Constabulary when over 300 Police Officers were shot in the back or blown to pieces by hidden bombs whilst contributing to the society they lived in. Totally two faced despicable comments.

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