Getaway driver in deadly armored car heist paroled after 38 years

A former radical left-wing activist was paroled Wednesday after serving nearly 40 years for her role in a deadly 1981 armored car robbery, according to CNN.

Judith Clark, 69, a member of the Weather Underground militant organization in the ‘60s and ‘70s, was the getaway driver in the 1981 robbery of a Brink’s armored truck in Nyack, N.Y., that left police officers Waverly Brown, Edward O’Grady and security guard Peter Paige dead.

{mosads}Clark was originally sentenced to 75 years to life, the maximum sentence, but in 2016 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) commuted her sentence, saying that after interviewing her case he believed her to be remorseful. That opened the door to Clark possibly being paroled.

In its ruling, the parole board cited “ample evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and transformation” and said Clarke’s release would be “compatible with the welfare of the overall community.” It cites her good behavior in prison and her work including the training of service dogs used by law enforcement, creation of an AIDS counseling program and work as a chaplain.

One of the three members of the board disagreed with the decision, writing that releasing Clark would “deprecate the seriousness of the offenses and undermine respect for the law.” Clark could be released from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York by May 15 or earlier, and will be forbidden from communicating with the victims of the robbery without permission of a parole officer, according to CNN.

Acting Rockland County District Attorney Kevin Gilleece criticized the decision, calling Clark a “cold-blooded cop killer.”

“Because of her complete disregard for human life and the sheer brutality of the crime, parole should never have been granted for this convicted murderer,” Gilleece said, according to the news outlet.

“We are grateful that the Parole Board affirmed what everyone who has interacted with Judy already knows — that she is a rehabilitated, remorseful woman who poses no threat to society,” Clark’s lawyer, Michael Cardozo, told CNN.