Updated: State Sen. Suzio Pins Meriden Murder On Early Release Program

More than 600 people have signed a petition calling for Gov. Malloy to suspend and investigate for problems a program that allows some inmates in the state to earn credit toward an early release from prison, a Republican state senator says.

Appearing at a press conference in Meriden, state Sen. Len  Suzio publicly launched a petition drive to suspend the law as he stood with the eldest son of Ibrahim Gazal, a 70-year-old convenience store owner killed in a June robbery.

Suzio again pointed to the case of Frankie Resto, who is accused of killing Ghazal, as an example of the system’s problems. Resto earned 199 days of credit in the program while serving a sentence for robbery. He was released and put on probation in April.

“I would say that without the early release program, Ibrahim Ghazal would still be alive today,” said Suzio, R-Meriden.

In a statement, Mike Lawlor, the state’s under secretary of criminal justice, maintained that Resto had actually served more of his sentence than he would have been required to before the credits program was passed into law. That’s because, Lawlor says, Resto was evaluated after serving 85 percent of his sentence and determined to be too risky to release. Lawlor says Resto actually ended up serving 91 percent of his sentence before his April release.

“Sen. Suzio ought to be ashamed of himself,” Lawlor said. “His insistence on spreading inaccurate information about this case does nothing but exploit a tragedy, its victim and its victims’ family. It should be beneath the office he holds.”

Lawlor also criticized Suzio for writing a June 12 letter calling for the early release of John Papandrea, who was convicted of embezzlement charges in November and sentenced to six years in prison. Papandrea was convicted of stealing more than $1 million from his employer, who was forced to lay off employees to cover the loss.

“The hypocrisy of Sen. Suzio’s actions is that much more outrageous when you consider he recently requested that a convicted felon be released after serving only 10 percent of his sentence,” Lawlor said. “Today he is calling on the Governor to suspend the very program he was hoping to take advantage of for one of his well-connected constituents.”

At the press conference in Meriden, Suzio said he knows Papandrea’s family and believes his sentence to be too harsh. Suzio also said that he believes in “redemption” and said non-violent criminals should be able to participate in the early release program.