The family of a seven-year-old girl who was decapitated along with her driver in an accident with a drunk driver going the wrong way has suffered a new blow when the driver was released on parole.
Martin Heidgen, 43, served 19 years behind bars on second-degree murder charges for the July 2, 2005, crash on Meadowbrook Parkway on Long Island that killed young Katie Flynn after her aunt’s wedding. along with limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz.
He had driven his truck the wrong way for nearly three miles before crashing head-on into the limo while returning from a beachfront wedding in Bayville. News day reports.
A subsequent trial found that he had consumed more than a dozen alcoholic beverages before getting behind the wheel and that his blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit when he crashed.
But on Wednesday, Heidgen was released from prison after being granted parole in August, much to the dismay of his victims’ families.
Martin Heidgen, 43, was released from prison Wednesday after serving 19 years behind bars on second-degree murder charges for the July 2, 2005 crash on Meadowbrook Parkway.
The drunk driving accident killed seven-year-old Katie Flynn and limo driver Stanley Rabinowitz.
Flynn’s parents, Neil and Jennifer Flynn, told Newsday that the state parole board’s decision to release their young daughter’s killer has a “profound impact” on the family.
“We ask that the public know our sadness and feel our pain,” Jennifer said.
‘Katie was murdered when she was seven years old; Where his killer lives, incarcerated or on parole, makes no difference to our lives.
“We realize our news cycle is over, but we hope your readers think of us and that we influence their choices,” he said.
Meanwhile, Joyce Rabinowitz-Schuster, the widow of the limo driver, expressed outrage at the parole board’s decision.
“How can the parole board not listen to what the DA said and release him and all the families?” -he asked in disbelief. “The Flynns lost their daughter, my children lost their father.”
The widow still grieving too told the New York Post: ‘This liberalism is a bullet in the back of families who suffer the loss of their loved ones.
He had driven his truck the wrong way for nearly three miles before crashing head-on into the limo while returning from a beachfront wedding in Bayville.
‘There is no longer accountability in New York State. The murder should have a minimum duration of 25 years,’ he argued.
‘Crime is increasing in New York State because of these dismissive attitudes and it must stop.
‘My family and the Flynn and Tangney families (Katie’s maternal grandparents) are aware of this crime every day and the hundreds of other friends and family of the victims involved in this murder.
“Shame on the parole board, who freed a murderer.”
Rabinowitz-Schuster’s eldest son, Keith Rabinowitz, agreed.
“I don’t think that’s enough time,” he said. ‘It’s not fair.
‘I should never have left. “It should have been two life sentences,” Keith argued.
Flynn’s parents, Jennifer and Neil, said the state parole board’s decision to free their young daughter’s killer has a “profound impact” on the family.
Heidgen, who was 24 years old at the time of the crash, was convicted of two counts of murder, three counts of first-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence in October 2006.
He was then sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, and tried to appeal the verdict, but New York’s highest court rejected it, saying that the horrific nature of the case demonstrated that he had formed the state of mind necessary to be found guilty. of murder for “depraved people.” “Indifference” towards human life.
The Nassau County district attorney, whose office prosecuted Heidgen under a previous district attorney, also called the defendant a “risk to society.”
“I strongly oppose the release of Martin Heidgen after serving only the minimum sentence for his crime and am disappointed by the Parole Board’s decision,” she said in a statement to Newsday, adding that the convict demonstrated a “lack of sincerity and remorse” for the fatal crash.
“Despite causing this carnage and anguish, Heidgen still suggested he would continue drinking after his release, exposing a flawed character and complete disregard for the lives he destroyed,” he said.
“He has not shown true responsibility for his actions and remains a risk to society.”
Heidgen’s attorney, however, disputed those claims.
“Both Marty and his family are grateful to the parole board (for) recognizing that it is appropriate for Marty to be released on parole,” said attorney Stephen LaMagna.
“He is and will always remain sorry for all the pain he has caused so many people and continues to pray for them and their families,” he said.
