(Albany) Eric M. Smith, convicted of murdering a four-year-old toddler in New York state when he was himself 13, has just been released on parole at his 11the tentative.
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Now 41 years old, Mr. Smith was heard by the parole committee on October 5 and the commissioners agreed to grant him this release on November 17. The transcript of the hearing was not yet available.
In 1994, Eric M. Smith was convicted of the second degree murder of Derrick Robie. He had lured a kid to a wooded area near his home, where he had murdered him by hitting him on the head with a stone. The murder came as little Derrick Robie was walking to his summer camp in the village of Savona, Steuben County, in August 1993.
At trial, the defense attorney argued that his client had a mental illness. The argument, however, did not work in favor of the teenager who was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of release until nine years old.
At a previous hearing before the parole board in 2014, the inmate said that it was all the rage and frustration accumulated by years of bullying that he had poured out on his young victim that did not deserve it. absolutely not.
Derrick’s parents, Dale and Doreen Robie, have opposed the release of their son’s killer every time the latter has applied for release. They also advocated for a reform of the process so that an inmate can only apply for release once every five years rather than every two years.
Dale Robie told local media that his family was unwilling to comment on the decision to release Mr Smith.
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