Joshua Horein, who killed Watkins Glen teen Amber Brockway in 2000, denied parole again
A former Watkins Glen resident who confessed to brutally murdering a high school classmate more than 22 years ago has been denied parole again.
Joshua Horein, 38, was 16 when he bludgeoned 15-year-old Amber Brockway to death in August 2000.
Horein was only days away from going to trial early in 2001 when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison by then-Schuyler County Judge J.C. Argetsinger.
On Dec. 30, 2022, the state Parole Board denied Horein's application for an early release.
It was the sixth time Horein appeared before the board since he first became eligible a little more than three years ago, even though the typical interval for hearings is every two years.
Amber's mother Joanne Brockway has testified about her daughter at each of the hearings.
"It’s always some sort of merit application he gets to make or he can appeal the last decision," Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary said of the frequent hearings. "It’s to the point of being ridiculous and it's taking a toll on Joanne Brockway."
Under the law, if parole is denied, the next hearing date must be scheduled within 24 months, but there is no minimum reappearance period defined by statute, according to Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Mailey.
Mailey said Horein's frequent appearances are due to appeals of previous rulings and because scheduled dates were postponed. His next hearing date will take place in June 2024.
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Amber, who was the only child of Eugene and Joanne Brockway, left home the evening of Aug. 5, 2000, to join friends at the annual Italian American Festival in Watkins Glen.
She never returned home, and she never met up with her friends that night. Her battered body was found in an abandoned building a few days later.
"The light went out of our life. It was gone," Joanne Brockway said in a previous interview.
Horein never publicly stated why he killed Amber.
Horein was granted his first hearing in late 2019, several months before his minimum sentence was up, under the state's Limited Credit Time Allowance provision, which gives some inmates an opportunity to apply for parole early if they meet certain criteria.
He is currently incarcerated at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Former Watkins Glen man denied parole again for 2000 murder
