ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York state man imprisoned for the past 59 years for strangling and raping a teenage girl has been granted parole at age 88.
James R. Moore, a former landscaper from the Rochester area, is scheduled to be released around June 6, after the state parole board granted him parole after his previous 20 requests were denied, the Democrat & Chronicle reported Tuesday. The decision came after his most recent parole hearing in late April.
Moore, New York’s longest-serving prison inmate, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison for the 1962 killing of 14-year-old Pamela Moss, of Penfield. Authorities said Moore attacked the girl on a trail near her home, strangled and raped her, and dumped her body in a water-filled gravel pit.
While confessing to the killing, Moore told police he had sexually molested at least 17 other girls and admitted he raped a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, said she and her predecessors had opposed Moore’s numerous parole requests.
“I am deeply saddened by this news,” Doorley said Tuesday. “It is a disservice to Pamela’s family.”
Officials said Moore does not yet have an approved post-release residence.
Jose Saldana, the director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, told the Democrat & Chronicle, “The purpose of parole is to evaluate a person’s readiness to return back to their community based on who they are today, not to add layers of punishment on top of a person’s sentence.”
“While we cannot speak to the specifics of every case, the data is clear that older adults released from prison, including those previously convicted of serious crimes, have the lowest risk of recidivism. We support the independence of the Parole Board and any decision to release those who pose no threat to public safety,” Saldana said.
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