Missouri man who took the life of a Westchester County police officer with a firearm 46 years ago will be released conditionally despite efforts to keep him in prison.
Anthony Blanks, 69 years old, could be released from jail on October after completing a community reintegration program, declared the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Felon was convicted of first degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon after fatally shooting Larchmont officer Arthur DeMatte with his own service weapon in the year 1976.
The veteran policeman of 20 had been trying to get Blanks off the New Haven railroad tracks for years after receiving a report that a person was interfering with the trains.
The offender approached the officer, took his weapon and fled the scene, however, he shot DeMatte in the chest when the officer began to chase them.
Blanks left the empty service weapon on the police cruiser and hid in nearby bushes. The officials who came to the scene shot him in the leg and arrested him.
The man who walked from the town of Westchester to New York City said that he had eaten no food in two days and that he was drugged with PCP at the time of the homicide.
The defendant was sentenced to between 25 years to life in prison. But he became eligible for parole in 2001, however he remained incarcerated 21 years older, apparently because of the strong position of the surviving DeMatte family and the Larchmont Police Union.
“Our feelings are definitely that this is politically driven and failing the families of the victims,” said Larchmont PBA President Dan Calapai.
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