What to Know
- A state court has halted the scheduled release from prison of a former member of a violent 1970s radical group who killed two NYC cops
- State Supreme Court put Herman Bell's release on hold after the PBA filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of one of the cop's widows
- Last month, the state parole board approved Bell's release from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York
A state court has halted the scheduled release from prison of a former member of a violent 1970s radical group who killed two New York City police officers in 1971.
State Supreme Court in Albany put Herman Bell's release on hold after the Patrolman's Benevolent Association filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Diane Piagentini, the widow of one of the slain officers.
Last month, the state parole board approved Bell's release from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York. The 70-year-old former Black Liberation Army member has served 44 years for fatally shooting officers Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini at a Harlem housing development.
Bell was scheduled to be released April 17. The court issued a temporary restraining order putting his release on hold pending an April 13 hearing on the lawsuit.
