One of the men convicted of killing Massachusetts State Trooper George Hanna nearly 43 years ago had his first parole hearing Thursday. Hanna’s family was there.
Jose Colon qualified for the hearing because of a new state law that offers a second chance to young offenders.
Who was Trooper George Hanna?
Hanna was shot and killed in Auburn in February 1983 during a routine traffic stop. He was 36 years old and left behind a wife and three children. The annual bravery awards for Massachusetts police officers, started in 1983, are named after him.
Hanna had pulled a car over in a parking lot and ordered the three men inside to get out. One of the men – Jose Colon – fired six shots at Hanna, killing him. Colon, who was 20 at the time, and two other men were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The Mattis decision
In 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole for anyone under the age of 21 was unconstitutional. The so-called Mattis decision meant that Colon was now eligible for a parole hearing…