RICHMOND, VA – A series of recently granted paroles of those convicted of some of the most heinous crimes has sparked outrage within not only the community, but with the family members of the victims impacted by the released offenders’ crimes.

Sources imply that these recent releases are all attributed to the pandemic.

Dwayne Markee Reid was one of the recent parolees released, who was responsible for the 1993 murder of Thomas Runyon.

The victim’s sisters, Kathy Ramage and Juanita Gillis, were both flabbergasted at the release of their brother’s killer.

Part of the shock was because they claimed to have never have been notified prior to his parole.

Gillis stated the following after learning about Reid’s release:

“I mean, good grief. What, they were never going to tell us and here we are thinking this killer is still in jail?”

Ramage mirrored that sentiment as well, stating the following:

“It made me livid. I was so upset. They didn’t even have the common courtesy to give any of my family members a call about his parole. We heard nothing.”

Ramage had found out about the release of her brother’s murderer by happening upon Reid’s newly acquired Facebook page:

“How do you like that?  He got out of prison, and now he’s got a Facebook living [his] life like [he] did nothing.”

Reid, who was freed from prison on April 17th, wasn’t the only notable violent criminal who is now a free man.

Patrick Schooley Jr. robbed, abducted, raped and stabbed to death 78-year-old Bessie Roundtree inside of her home back in 1979 when he was 15-years-old.

Johnathan Brinkley is the grandson of Roundtree, who was about the same age as Schooley when he murdered his grandmother.

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Also having never been contacted prior to Schooley’s release, he feels as though his grandmother’s killer should have never been set free:

“The way I see it, an eye for an eye. He should stay behind bars, and should stay there until he dies.”

Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Phil Ferguson views these recent releases as “atrocious” acts:

“These are the most violent serious crimes in Virginia, and they are releasing them with no input from the commonwealth’s attorney and no input from the victim’s family.”

Tonya Chapman, who was the former Portsmouth Police Chief, recently was appointed as the chairwoman of the parole board in April.

While these releases transpired after her appointment to the board, she stated that she wasn’t involved in the decisions for release:

“Although, I didn’t assume the position as Chair of the Virginia Parole Board until April 16, 2020, it is my understanding that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the month of March and April, the Parole Board worked tirelessly to review all parole-eligible individuals and release those whose return to the community was compatible with the interests and welfare of society.”

While the ongoing COVID-19 fiasco seemingly had some influence in these releases, there are those who would argue that time served for the offenses was a significant factor in the consideration as well.

Shannon Ellis, who is an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center, stated that the notion of criticizing those granted parole solely for their original crimes isn’t a fair take:

“I think you have to ask a lot more questions … including how long that person had served, whether that person under any credible assessment would be considered a danger to the public, to what degree does keeping a person incarcerated during a crisis like this could that be giving them a death sentence?”

Instances related to parole, and board decisions, aren’t exactly easy fights.

Typically, when a parole board has their mind set on a release (or denial), statements from either the victims, their families, or even the convict in question, can seem like a fruitless endeavor in swaying a decision.

However, in instances like these, it’s important to keep in mind that parole boards are appointed positions that stem from someone within an elected position.

In times like these, remember to vote wisely come next election cycle.

It’s not just Virginia, either.

In Pennsylvania, far-left Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner strikes again.

His latest move? Getting a cop shooter released from prison without notifying either the victim officer or the Philadelphia Police Department. At least that is what the Philadelphia FOP and the officer say.

On November 25, 1997, former Philly officer John Ruane, along with two fellow officers, were driving through the 800 block of West Cambria Street in the city and came upon a planned hit on rival drug dealers that was planned by a man named Alberto Pagan.

“Myself and Officer Fleming and Officer Barbie were in a Bronco marked patrol vehicle and we drove right in the middle of an execution,” Ruane said.

“We engaged the shooters. One of them was behind me, I didn’t realize; he shot four times and hit me once in the back of the vest.

Ruane’s bulletproof vest stopped the bullet, and he was not seriously injured.

Ruane blasted Krasner’s office for Pagan’s early release.

“It’s my belief it was intentional because we would have opposed it,” Ruane said.

 

At trial, Pagan was convicted and sentenced to 22 to 44 years in prison and was apparently released in December after serving the minimum 22-year sentence.

“He very well could have come after my family, myself, I had no idea,” Ruane continued.

Ruane’s first inkling that Pagan had been released was when he received a text message telling him that Pagan had been murdered Monday night in the city.

“I was surprised I didn’t get a courtesy call from DA’s office or parole board; somebody could have let me know that this guy was being released,” Ruane said.

Krasner’s office disputes the FOP and Ruane’s complaints. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office states:

“Courts and prisons have jurisdiction over the release of prisoners, the DAO does not. Further, when prisoners are released, victim notifications go out from the state’s Office of Victim Advocate.”

Ruane and FOP President John McNesby dispute that claim.

“It’s been a carnival act since he took over and we knew this was gonna happen,” said McNesby.

The FOP president noted that this type of activity has been occurring on a more routine basis since the left-wing progressive Krasner took over as district attorney, as far as victims not being notified of a prisoner’s release.

“I know maybe six months back there was someone going to work on the subway, and they saw somebody that had sexually assaulted them that was on the same train that this girl thought was put away,” McNesby said.

In a social media post earlier this week, Ruane wrote:

“Thanks D.A. Larry Krasner for NOT letting me know you let out the guy who shot me 22 years ago, out of prison halfway through his 44-year sentence! Apparently, he [Pagan] has been making new friends on FB since his release in November.”

Parole records indicated that Pagan, who was 61, was released from prison on Dec. 3rd. However, karma eventually caught up to the would-be cop killer.

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“Ironically, Karma caught up with him last night on Byberry Road in Parkwood where he was shot multiple times and killed,” Ruane wrote. “Sorry ladies, he’s back off the market again…If the politicians won’t protect the police, then what chance do the rest of the law-abiding citizens have???”

A website called “Big Trial” tried reaching out to Krasner and his office for comment, however, none was received.

According to Ruane, notification of victims is required under the law.

“I was told that was the law, but it’s not enforced.”

Apparently, victim notification is not exactly Krasner’s forte. According to Big Trial, this has been a source of continuing criticism of Krasner’s office since he rode George Soros money into the DA’s office.

In a Newsweek story published in 2018, Krasner said that it was “growing pains” concerning the failure of his office to make prompt victim notification of prisoner releases. Despite the protestations of Krasner’s office about notification being the responsibility of the Office of the Victim’s Advocate, they were having none of it.

The director of the Victim’s Advocate office was quoted in the Newsweek story as saying that Krasner’s office was “in complete violation” of the victim notification law.

Pagan did not seem to have the kind of criminal record that would have made him all of a sudden turn into a choir boy in prison. He had a lengthy criminal history going back years.

In a 1987 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision where his third-degree murder charges were upheld against one Aurelio “June Bug” Ramos, Pagan was described as a rival drug dealer who had been responsible for the execution style killing of a man named Frank Morales, a small-time drug dealer in the city.

According to trial testimony, Morales’ murder was ordered by Pagan because Morales was encroaching on Pagan’s drug selling territory.

During the trial, witnesses testified that they had heard Pagan previously warn Morales that he would be killed if he were caught selling drugs on what Pagan said was his turf.

After the shooting incident where Ruane was struck, he was convicted on one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, in addition to firearms charges. Ruane said that the trial judge, the late Lisa Richette, said from the bench, “Oh my God,” when she heard details of the shooting.

“She was horrified,” Ruane said.

Pagan in 2015 went to court to protest that his appeal had been turned down under the Post-Conviction Relief Act. Representing himself, he claimed that his original sentence was illegal. He claimed that he had newly discovered evidence, a handwritten note from one Maria Caraballo, who said she had not been notified of Pagan’s original trial, so she was not able to appear as an alibi witness.

His appeal was denied on Feb. 17, 2015 by the state superior court, determining it was without merit. Pagan had been trying to appeal his sentences without success going back to 2012.

Speaking to the demise of Pagan, all Ruane would say was, “We’re not crying over it.”

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