Valley Stream officer's killer up for parole
Convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Officer Matthew Giglio, Mackenzie is up for parole during the third week in August, according to Nassau County Police Benevolent Association Treasurer Wayne Hartmann. A specific date for the parole hearing had not been set as of press time.
On Oct. 7, 1975, Giglio responded to back up fellow officers on a burglary-in-progress call at a West Hempstead business. When Giglio arrived he observed Mackenzie leaving the store. During the chase that ensued, Mackenzie fired a single shot at point blank range into Giglio's chest, according to police. Giglio was rushed to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, where he spent several months in and out of a coma before dying on Dec. 16, 1975. he left behind a wife, Phyllis, and three children, Doreen, 10, Regina, 8, and Matthew, 4.
It was an incident that left a permanent scar on the Giglio family, a scar that has been reopened every two years since Mackenzie's original parole hearing in 2000. I personally feel that it's an injustice to all law enforcement officers because this killer, John Mackenzie, has the right to be up for parole [every two years], said Giglio¹s son Matthew, now of Moonachie, New Jersey. As far as I'm concerned, this is a right that criminals should not have.
[The PBA] will always be there for [the Giglio family] and we will never forget the sacrifice and pain they have endured, said Wayne Hartmann PBA Treasurer.
The Giglio family has mounted a concerted effort to keep Mackenzie behind bars, engaging in a letter-writing campaign with family and friends to achieve that end. My family's fight is not for vengeance, said Giglio, it is for prevention. We feel that John Mackenzie will continue his criminal behavior if he gets paroled and we don't want anyone to ever have to experience that type of pain and torture.
Giglio said that his father lingered in the hospital for ten weeks, going through multiple operations which included a pacemaker installation and the amputation of a leg due to infection, before succumbing to his injuries. [My family] were deprived of the privilege of spending time with our father, said Giglio. If [Mackenzie] is truly remorseful for what he has done, he should dedicate his life to helping those in prison to try and reform themselves while serving a life sentence.
Besides serving as an ambulance driver for the police force, Giglio was a volunteer firefighter in Valley Stream. In 2000, a parcel of land at Dutch Broadway and Corona Avenue was renamed Matthew Giglio Memorial Plaza in his honor.
[The PBA] will always be there for [the Giglio family] and we will never forget the sacrifice and pain they have endured, said Hartmann, in a statement on the PBA's Web site.
Families or individuals who are interested in contacting the parole board can do so by writing
a letter to them at the following address or by accessing the PBA Web site at
Division of Parole
Woodbourne Correctional Facility
Woodbourne, NY 12788
Posted Thursday, July 27, 2006
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