gvogrin@tribtoday.com
The juvenile killer of a Niles police officer in 1982 has had his parole hearing moved up because of a new state law that is giving juvenile murderers more chances at freedom.
Fred E. Joseph Jr., convicted in 1983 and sentenced to 30-years-to-life in the slaying of Niles patrolman John A. Utlak, will face a parole hearing this September.
Authorities had originally set a 2022 date for a parole hearing, after Joseph’s bid for parole in 2012 was rebuffed. But a new law approved by the Legislature during a 2020 lame duck session and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on Jan. 3 this year, states all juvenile offenders must have a chance at parole.
Killer Jacob LaRosa never faced the death penalty in his brutal slaying of his kind-hearted, elderly neighbor, but at least his family could take solace in knowing LaRosa’s conviction and sentencing meant he would never, ever again be free.
That is, until legislators recently passed a new retroactive law requiring that all juvenile offenders someday get a chance at parole. The grandson of LaRosa’s victim, 94-year-old Marie Belcastro, is right to be enraged by what he calls a “miscarriage of justice.”
Senate Bill 256 took effect earlier this month decreeing that just about anybody in prison for life who committed murder as a juvenile must be given a chance at parole.
Members of the congregation of St. Michael Catholic Church in Canfield worship inside their church recently. More people have been returning to in-person worship at churches and parishes throughout the Mahoning Valley in recent weeks.
The grandson of the 94-year-old victim of convicted murderer Jacob LaRosa blames Ohio’s elected officials for giving the killer a chance for freedom in 19 years and then every five years after that.
“We owe this miscarriage of justice to a Republican governor and Legislature,” said Brian Kirk, who questioned how this new state law could happen in a place known for its tough-on-crime, common-sense approach to governing.
Submitted photo
Marie Belcastro enjoys a day on the water with her grandson Brian Kirk, who has become an advocate against a new Ohio law dictating sentencing for juvenile offenders. The 94-year-old woman was murdered in her Niles home in 2015.
The grandson of the 94-year-old victim of convicted murderer Jacob LaRosa blames Ohio’s elected officials for giving the killer a chance for freedom in 19 years and then every five years after that.
“We owe this miscarriage of justice to a Republican governor and Legislature,” said Brian Kirk, who questioned how this new state law could happen in a place known for its tough-on-crime, common-sense approach to governing.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com
The grandson of the 94-year-old victim of convicted murderer Jacob LaRosa blames Ohio’s elected officials for giving the killer a chance for freedom in 19 years, and then every five years after that.
“We owe this miscarriage of justice to a Republican governor and legislature,” said Brian Kirk, who questioned how this new state law could happen in a place known for its tough on crime, common sense approach to governing.
LaRosa was sentenced to life without parole plus 31 years in 2018 after pleading guilty to a host of crimes surrounding the 2015 brutal slaying of Marie Belcastro at her Niles home.