NATICK, MASS. (WHDH) - A man who killed a Massachusetts State Police trooper in 1983 went before a parole board Thursday after a new Massachusetts law allowed him to do so.
Jose Colon, now 63, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Massachusetts State Police trooper George Hanna when he was 20-years-old.
Massachusetts laws have since changed, and no longer allow juveniles to be sentenced without parole, which opened the door for Colon to be released.
Dozens of protesters stood outside the hearing, urging the board to deny Colon’s request. Governor Maura Healey also submitted a letter asking the parole board to deny his release.
“They hate me, they have anger. I think its justified because I killed a police officer,” said Colon.
Colon became emotional while reflecting on his crime. He was with two other men on the way to rob a liquor store when trooper Hanna pulled them over in Auburn. Colon shot Hanna six times, killing him.
“Young, stupid, dumb. I’d never, never do that,” Colon said before the board.
During the hearing, the parole board revealed Colon has been in trouble in prison as recently as last month.
Hanna’s family, with the support of state police, said nothing could warrant setting Colon free.
“When someone attacks a law enforcement officer while they’re doing their job, it’s our job to make sure justice is served. We must reaffirm our commitment as a society that we’ll never be tolerant of the murder of one of our public servants,” said Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble.
Hanna is remembered for his bravery. Every year, an award is given out in his name to recognize the courage of law enforcement officers.
His family vows to never let anyone forget the man they lost in this senseless tragedy.
“Jose Colon didn’t just take a life. He erased a future,” said Deborah Hanna, George Hanna’s daughter. “He erased every birthday my father would have celebrated with us, every graduation he would have been proud to attend, every piece of advice he never got to give.”
The Hanna family said they are looking into getting the law changed, so any person who is convicted of killing a public official or police officer gets the chance of parole.
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