This article contains details that some readers may find upsetting.
The longest-serving inmate in New York state, a man who admitted that he raped and strangled a 14-year-old girl in 1962, has been granted parole after 60 years, CBS News reported on Friday.
James Moore, an 88-year-old former landscaper from Rochester, is scheduled to be released around June 6. He had requested parole 20 times before the approval was granted at a hearing late last month.
Moore had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Pamela Moss to avoid the death penalty, which has since been abolished in the state. He was later sentenced to life in prison. But now, the punishment is set to end prematurely.
“Not only did he confess to his heinous crime, but prior to sentencing, Moore agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison to avoid the death penalty,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a statement released through Twitter.
“I am deeply saddened by this news,” she added. “It is a disservice to Pamela’s family.”
According to authorities, Moore told police that he had sexually molested at least 17 other girls and admitted he raped a 9-year-old girl.
Greg Moss, Pamela’s brother, told ABC’s WHAM 13 that he was only 11 when his sister was murdered. He said that for him and his two sisters, growing up without Pamela was “very painful.”
“My mother took it the worst. She was just very depressed and sad for a bunch of years. And it was very tough on her every two years,” Greg said while choking up, later adding that his father was angry for years over Pamela’s murder.
“She was a fun-loving girl, and exciting, and the sweetest thing. She was a babysitter. She just loved life. We had our brotherly-sisterly quarrels or whatever, but she was really a good kid, and I always had a tough time those first few years when she’s not there,” he added.
The remaining family also thanked Doorley and prior district attorneys for their support in seeking justice for Pamela.
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