Herman Bell accomplice, Anthony Bottom, is eligible for parole in June
On Wednesday, May 16, Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,I,Ref-Mahopac) joined legislative colleagues from across New York at a press conference calling on the state’s board of parole to deny an upcoming parole request for cop-killer Anthony Bottom. Bottom, who executed two NYPD officers alongside recent parolee Herman Bell in 1971, was convicted on two counts of first degree murder and is currently serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
The message of Wednesday’s event was loud and clear as speaker after speaker decried Bottom’s heinous crimes and called for his continued incarceration. After the shameful decision to grant parole to Bell, a similar ruling in Bottom’s case would represent a major injustice to both the families of his victims and the brave men and women who put their lives on the line each day as members of our state’s law enforcement agencies.
“At a time when our men and women in law enforcement and first responders are being targeted and assassinated, granting murderers such as Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom parole is a major step in the wrong direction,” said Byrne. “I’d like to thank my friend and colleague Assemblyman Lalor for leading the charge to ensure this cop killer is kept behind bars, and I look forward to continuing our work in support of these efforts.”
Bottom has been eligible for parole since 2012, but has consistently had his requests denied. According to NYPD Commissioner James O’Neil, the felon has yet to express true remorse for these murders.
Additional efforts to ensure Bottom remain behind bars include a petition on standunited.org, authored by Assemblyman Kieran Lalor and fully supported by Byrne. It calls on NYS Parole Board Chairwoman Tina M. Stanford to deny Bottom’s parole request. The petition has already garnered over 1,000 signatures.