Object to Parole |
Fallen Officer's Family Pleas for HelpKeep Cop Killer Behind Bars! |
|
Dear Family Members and Friends, I am writing to you on behalf of Fallen Police Officer Matthew F. Giglio. In 1975, Officer Giglio was responding to a burglary in a West Hempstead clothing store; Thelma J’s Boutique on Long Island. Officer Giglio was an ambulance driver for the Nassau County Police Department. On the early morning of October 7, 1975, at approximately 2:44 a.m., Officer Giglio heard the burglary call over his ambulance radio. He responded to back up his fellow officers. When he arrived at the front of the boutique, he was unaware of the patrol car and two officers questioning a woman, later identified as Colleen Irby, to the rear of the boutique. Officer Giglio approached the front of the store and found a man armed with a .38-caliber revolver fleeing the scene. Before Officer Giglio was able to draw his weapon, the perpetrator shot him at close range. The officers around the back heard the shot and ran to the front of the boutique. There they found Officer Giglio bleeding profusely from the abdomen. The two officers put Officer Giglio in his own ambulance and rushed him to Mercy Hospital where he underwent six hours of surgery by a four man surgical team. Officer Giglio remained in critical condition. The gunman was found seven hours later and identified as 29-year-old John MacKenzie. His accomplice, Colleen Irby, was his common law wife. After a ten week battle of multiple cardiac arrests,
renal dialysis, and leg amputation, Officer Giglio succumbed to
his wounds and lost his fight for life. Officer Giglio died on December
16, 1975. He was thirty-five years old, a Volunteer Fireman of the
Valley Stream Fire Department and a Veteran of the Police force
for eleven years. John MacKenzie deprived the Giglio family of a
loving husband, father, son and brother. He was remembered by his
wife: Phyllis Giglio and three small children; Doreen 10, Regina
8 and Matthew Jr. 4. John MacKenzie was sentenced to twenty-five
years to life. Granting MacKenzie parole would not only be an injustice to Police Officer Giglio and his family, but a dishonor to all law enforcement officials. We do not seek revenge, but prevention. Allowing MacKenzie to walk the streets again would only risk lives of other innocent victims. There has been an over abundant amount of tragedy in the world today. The Parole Board has the power to alter the destiny of society and prevent other families from losing a loved one. The Giglio Family graciously asks for your support by expressing your objection to the Parole of John MacKenzie and sending it to:
Please feel free to utilize the pre-written letter or create one of your own. Duplicate as many copies as needed. There is always safety in numbers. Your support is greatly appreciated and will never be forgotten. On behalf of my father, my family and myself, I extend my deepest gratitude. Sincerely, Matthew A. Giglio, Jr.
|
