Fury as man who decapitated flower girl and killed limo driver in drunk-driving wrong-way crash freed on parole
Martin Heidgen, 43, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005 for the crash on the Meadowbrook Parkway in Freeport, which decapitated 7 year old Katie Flynn and killed limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz
The families of a young flower girl and a limo driver, who were tragically killed in a horrific wrong-way crash by a drunk driver after her aunt's wedding on Long Island, are expressing their outrage upon learning that the man responsible has been granted parole and is now a free man.
Martin Heidgen, 43, was found guilty of second-degree murder for the devastating crash on July 2, 2005, on the Meadowbrook Parkway in Freeport. The accident resulted in the decapitation of 7 year old Katie Flynn and the death of limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz, following her aunt's wedding on Long Island.
At the time of the incident, Heidgen, then 24, drove his pickup truck the wrong way for nearly three miles before colliding head-on with the limo returning from a family wedding in Bayville, as reported by the New York Post.
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At the time of the crash, Heidgen's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. After being convicted on two counts of murder, three counts of first-degree assault, and tampering with physical evidence, he was sentenced to 19 years to life, officials confirmed.
Despite attempts to appeal the conviction, Heidgen was unsuccessful. However, on August 13, he was granted conditional release and was set free on Wednesday, a fact confirmed by the state Department of Correction and Community Supervision on Sunday. His release has sparked outrage among the grieving families who continue to suffer from the loss caused by Heidgen's actions, reports the Mirror US.
Katie's heartbroken parents, Neil and Jennifer Flynn, opened up to Newsday about the devastating toll the state parole board's decision to release their daughter's killer has taken on them. "We ask that the public may know our sadness and feel our pain," shared a distraught Jennifer.
"Katie was murdered as a seven-year-old girl; where her murderer lives, imprisoned or paroled, makes no difference in our lives," Jennifer Flynn stated. "We realise that our news cycle is over, but it is our hope that your readers think of us and that we influence their choices."
Joyce Rabinowitz-Schuster, once married to Rabinowitz, pointed the finger at liberal policies in New York City for the killer's release. "This liberalism is a bullet into the back of the families who suffer the loss of their loved ones," she expressed in an email to The Post.
"There is no accountability in New York state anymore. Murder should be 25 years minimum. Crime is rising in NYS because of these dismissive attitudes and it must stop," she insisted.
"My family and the Flynns and Tangney families (Katie's maternal grandparents) realize this crime every day and the hundreds of other friends and family members of the victims involved in this murder," Rabinowitz-Schuster declared. "Shame on the parole board who released a murderer."
Heidgen's lawyer has expressed that his client is remorseful and eager to reintegrate into society following the tragic incident.
"Both Marty and his family are grateful to the parole board of recognizing that it is appropriate for Marty to be released on parole and allow him to re-enter society and become a productive and constructive member of our community," attorney Stephen LaMagna told Newsday. "He is and remains forever remorseful for all of the pain he has caused to so many and continues to pray for them and their families."
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