Joshua Horein, who killed Watkins Glen classmate Amber Brockway, denied parole again
A former Watkins Glen man convicted for the 2000 beating death of a classmate has been denied parole for the fourth time.
Joshua Horein, now 37, was 16 when he bludgeoned 15-year-old Amber Brockway to death in August 2000.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder only days before he was set to go to trial and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Parole eligibility normally takes place every two years, but Horein was granted his first hearing 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.
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The state Board of Parole had already denied Horein's early release three times after he became eligible before another hearing earlier this month.
After his October 2019 and June 2020 hearings, Horein used the appeal process to gain two more early appearances, in March and December of this year, with the board rejecting his appeal for release each time.
Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary, who prosecuted Horein after Amber's death, said it's stressful for all parties to have hearings every six months rather than the normal two-year interval.
Nevertheless, Fazzary, who was notified Tuesday of the Parole Board's decision, is glad the board decided to keep him locked up.
"Obviously, we are pleased with the board’s decision to keep Horein in jail. That is where he belongs," Fazzary said.
"Amber’s family is relieved and will continue its fight to keep Horein behind bars for many years," he said. "We are truly sorry that Amber’s mother, Joanne, and her extended family have to continue to go through this process every six months, but we will continue to stand with them every time they go through this exhausting and debilitating process.”
Amber was the only child of Joanne Brockway and her husband Eugene, who died in 2005.
Horein, remains incarcerated at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York.
He is scheduled to go before the Parole Board again in June 2022.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Former Watkins Glen man denied parole for 2000 killing of classmate
