Serial Killers FREED — New York’s Insane Plan

New York lawmakers are advancing legislation that could release serial killers, mass shooters, and cop killers from prison, sparking fierce opposition from law enforcement and victims’ families who warn the state is abandoning public safety for criminals.

Story Snapshot

Four bills under consideration would effectively abolish life without parole for inmates over 55 who have served 15 years
Serial killer Joel Rifkin, LIRR shooter Colin Ferguson, and Buffalo mass murderer Payton Gendron could become eligible for release
Suffolk County District Attorney warns thousands of violent criminals could be pushed onto streets
Victims’ families plead with lawmakers to consider their ongoing trauma over criminal rehabilitation

Four Bills Disguised as Reform

Albany lawmakers are considering four pieces of legislation with innocuous-sounding names that mask a radical transformation of New York’s criminal justice system. The Earned Time Act, Fair and Timely Parole Act, Elder Parole, and Second Look Act would collectively dismantle life sentences for the state’s most dangerous criminals. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney held a briefing in late April 2026 warning these bills prioritize criminals over victims, potentially releasing murderers who terrorized communities for decades. The legislation represents a continuation of New York’s soft-on-crime policies that have frustrated law-abiding citizens watching their neighborhoods become less safe.

Notorious Killers Could Walk Free

The Elder Parole bill would allow inmates over 55 who have served 15 years to seek release, regardless of their crimes’ brutality. Joel Rifkin, convicted in 1994 for killing between nine and seventeen women, would immediately qualify for parole hearings. Colin Ferguson, who murdered six people and wounded nineteen others in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre, could also seek release. Even Payton Gendron, who killed ten people in the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting motivated by racial hatred, would become eligible for sentence reevaluation in 2032 under the Second Look Act. These cases illustrate how legislation framed as compassionate elder care would actually free society’s most dangerous predators.

Victims Families Demand Justice

The mother of a stabbing victim confronted lawmakers with a heartbreaking question: “Does our pain mean anything to you?” Victims’ families across New York are speaking out against legislation they view as a betrayal of justice and their loved ones’ memories. These families face the prospect of attending repeated parole hearings, reliving their trauma while watching perpetrators argue for freedom. District Attorney Tierney emphasized that victims secured sentences meant to provide closure and certainty that dangerous criminals would never harm another family. The proposed bills would shatter that promise, forcing families to fight repeatedly to keep killers behind bars where they belong.

Bills Ignore Crime Severity

The Fair and Timely Parole Act represents perhaps the most troubling provision, requiring parole boards to ignore the original crime when making release decisions. Murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders would automatically benefit from a system that considers only their current behavior, not the heinous acts that put them in prison. The Earned Time Act would cut sentences in half for violent criminals, allowing early release for thousands of dangerous inmates. Together, these measures erode the fundamental principle that punishment should fit the crime, replacing it with a system that treats hardened killers as misunderstood individuals deserving of second chances regardless of their victims’ permanent suffering.

Law Enforcement Sounds Alarm

District Attorney Tierney warns these bills will push thousands of New York’s most violent criminals onto the streets, creating a public safety crisis in communities already struggling with crime. His office points to recent releases of four suspects in Long Island dismemberment cases as evidence that existing soft-on-crime policies have failed. Law enforcement officials lack support from proponents of the legislation in the research materials, suggesting lawmakers are advancing these measures without addressing legitimate public safety concerns. The Suffolk County DA’s office has formally labeled the Elder Parole initiative as the “Abolish Life Without Parole Bill,” cutting through the misleading rhetoric to expose its true impact on sentencing certainty and community protection.