Peter Brownstein’s Parole Hearing Denied
The notorious figure, Peter Brownstein, made it straightforward for the New York parole board to reject his initial request for freedom last week.
Brownstein, who previously worked as a fashion magazine writer, chose not to attend the hearing held on August 19.
The 16-member panel reviewed a letter from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office before making their decision. This correspondence urged that Daily Jano, a 61-year-old former woman, remain incarcerated at Wende Correction Facility, located near Buffalo.
According to a letter dated July 25, written by senior council member Maxine Rosenthal, Brownstein has shown himself to be a person filled with anger and a desire for revenge. “He has demonstrated multiple times that he poses a danger to society, and he has openly stated that if released, he would continue to be a threat,” Rosenthal noted.
Rosenthal, part of the team that prosecuted Brownstein, highlighted that he has never expressed remorse for his actions, whether in court or during media interviews. She referenced a letter from 2009 in which Brownstein stated, “I regret the choice of a victim, but not the crime itself.”
He went on to claim, “The crime was justified.”
Brownstein subjected a colleague to horrific sexual violence. On Halloween night in 2005, he set fire to her Chelsea apartment’s exterior, using the pretense of being a firefighter to gain entry.
Once inside, he chloroformed the 36-year-old woman, drugged her, bound her, and assaulted her for over 13 hours. Her name has been kept confidential.
In a chilling note he left on her mirror, he wrote, “Goodbye – I hope things change soon,” while also recording the brutal assault.
After fleeing, he attempted suicide as law enforcement closed in on him two months later in Tennessee. He was arrested on December 16, 2005, and later convicted on May 23, 2007, of various charges including sexual assault and robbery.
The judge sentenced him to 18 years in prison.
A spokesperson for the Department of Correction and Community Supervision indicated that Brownstein is scheduled for another parole hearing in 2027.
