Release of Poughkeepsie murderer Brian Britton suspended by parole board
A parole board suspended the release of Brian Britton, who killed his parents and brother in 1989 but failed at an attempt to murder his sister, according to Dutchess County prosecutors.
“The evidence submitted demonstrates that Mr. Britton remains a danger to the only surviving victim and his release would be incompatible with the welfare of society,” chief assistant district attorney Matthew Weishaupt reportedly told state parole board members Friday.
The Poughkeepsie Journal reported Britton had been expected to be released from Otisville Correctional Facility as soon as Monday after serving 33 years for the triple murder. He was 16 years old at the time of the killings.
However, prosecutors argued social media postings made by Britton merited another look.
Britton reportedly claimed his sister “should’ve played nice” and took issue with her unwillingness to forgive him.
The 50-year-old convict shot all four of his family members on March 22, 1989. Britton’s sister, Sherry Shafer, who is two years his senior, survived her wounds. Their younger brother, Jason Britton, was 8 years old when he was killed in the family’s Poughkeepsie home.
Shafer set up a Change.org petition to keep her incarcerated brother behind bars when he came up for parole in 2018.
“He shot my dad twice, my mom twice and Jason once and bashed his head in with the butt of the gun,” she wrote. “I survived my two gunshots (one to the abdomen and one to the head).”
According to Shafer, her brother only admitted to the killings after learning his sister was still alive.
“I fear for my life and that of my children if he were to be released,” she pleaded.
More than 6,200 supporters signed Shafer’s petition addressed to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said the parole board would decide what to do next. Britton was granted parole on March 21, despite Weishaupt’s claim the killer never expressed remorse for his crimes. He was reportedly denied parole on several previous occasions.
