Killer Wants 40-Year Sentence Reduced

[kweerwolf]

A convicted killer, whose 1988 crime was a catalyst for hate-crime legislation in Connecticut, is asking for a sentence reduction, citing a memo written by a prosecutor nearly 16 years ago that refers to the offender's "possible pardon or parole."

Sean G. Burke was one of two teenagers sentenced for the bludgeoning death of Richard F. Reihl, whose slaying fueled concerns about anti-gay violence. Reihl, who was gay, met Burke and another teenager outside a Hartford gay bar and took them to his Wethersfield home. Once there, he was beaten with a fireplace log as he tried to flee his attackers. His body was found outside his home.

Burke's co-defendant, Marcos J. Perez, was 17 when he began his 35-year prison sentence in connection with the slaying. Burke, an A-student who was portrayed as a teenager with promise, had a troubled family background that included a father who was a convicted robber. He was 19 when he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

At the time of Burke's sentencing in 1989, then-prosecutor Kevin P. McMahon signed a four-paragraph memo that will likely play center stage at Burke's sentence modification hearing on Friday in Superior Court in Manchester.

http://fox61.trb.com/news/local/hc-burke0817.artaug17,0,1632535.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

[Meldread]

1. Certainly, Mr. Burke.

I would be happy to see your sentence reduced. I would like to see it reduced to immediate release via the electric chair.

The evil bastard should just be thankful that he didn't get the death penalty.