The family of a slain New York City police officer is fighting to keep the killer behind bars after he successfully appealed the parole board's denial of parole last year.
Andy Dwyer, whose brother Anthony was murdered nearly 35 years ago in the line of duty, joined “Fox & Friends First” to discuss the family's expectations for his upcoming parole hearing and why they're fighting to keep him locked up.
“However, to be honest, our expectations, the way things are going, I'm surprised they haven't let him out yet,” Dwyer said. “It's pathetic.”
NEW YORKERS CLAIM TO LOSE THE BATTLE AGAINST CRIME AFTER THE GOVERNMENT. HOCHUL DISPATCHES THE NATIONAL GUARD
The killer, Eddie Matos, is currently serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the 1989 murder. Matos pushed Anthony off a Times Square roof after the pair came face to face during an incident in which Matos, along with three accomplices, they cornered McDonald's employees at gunpoint, according to the New York Post.
Matos reportedly chased Anthony to the roof, where he pushed him down a 25-foot air duct. The young man, then 23 years old, was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The family of Anthony Dwyer, who was murdered in the line of duty almost 35 years ago, is fighting to keep his killer behind bars. (Screenshot from 'Fox & Friends First')
Dwyer said it will be a “slap in the face” to his family if Matos, who was convicted of second-degree murder, is released.
“It will be a…slap in the face to our family just to say that, once again, your life is worth more than our brother's life,” Dwyer told Carley Shimkus on Monday.
“Bringing my brother back and of course letting him out of jail… If they can do that, then of course this guy can get out of jail. Obviously, that's not happening, so this dog deserves stay”. in jail for the rest of his life, like the sentence they gave him.”
NEW YORK MAYOR ADAMS DENIES FIRING A GUN AT SCHOOL AS DESCRIBED IN HIS BOOK
“Now we have to do this every year and a half. It used to be two years when you had to go before the parole board. Now it's every year and a half, and this year it's actually one year because it was “Can we… argue that they did not receive the documentation in this regard,” he continued.
The New York Post reported that there was a “technicality” issue with Matos' parole paperwork last year, giving him another chance to possibly be released, despite his sentence.
He said the family petitioned to keep Matos behind bars, garnering more than 30,000 signatures in support of the move.
“No one on the parole board is held accountable,” he said. “When you go out and do whatever you're going to do, which, let's face it, you're not going to go out and pastor or volunteer and do what you say you're going to do when you go out and do it. “No one has to be held accountable. He will go back to jail and [they’ll say] oh, we were wrong… It's okay. It's our fault…he's a good person.”
CRISIS IN NEW YORK: A 94-YEAR-OLD VET STRUGGLES TO MOVE ON AFTER A NURSING HOME Evicts Him, Replaced By Migrants
Dwyer said his brother was an “amazing person” who loved his community and helped those around him who needed it most.
“I know everyone says that, but he volunteered at church helping… seniors going to their doctor's appointments. He taught religious instruction. He was a volunteer firefighter,” he said.
“At one point, there was a friend of his from high school who was in a car accident and paralyzed in the hospital, and Anthony sat by his bed when the kid was in a coma and helped him, I mean, bring him in. He came back out of the coma. I talked to him every day. He was with them all the time and he was just an incredible person… There's nothing bad that can be said about him.”
“In Anthony's 23 years of life, he did more… good in his 23 years of life than this stray dog could do in his entire life.”
If Matos is released, he will be the 42nd cop killer released in New York since 2017, according to the New York Post. He has reportedly been denied parole seven times in the past 10 years.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
