NATICK — As Deborah Hanna prepared Thursday to testify at a parole hearing for one of three men convicted of killing her father, she signaled to a framed photograph of the slain Massachusetts State Police trooper.
She said she wanted the photograph to be positioned in front of 63-year-old Jose Anibal Colon, who was appearing before the Parole Board for the first time since he fatally shot Trooper George L. Hanna on Feb. 26, 1983.
“I want Jose Colon to see my father’s picture,” she said.
Hanna then urged the panel to deny Colon’s request for parole, saying he executed her father and doesn’t deserve a second chance.
“My father does not get parole from death,” said Hanna, who appeared before the board with her sister, Kimberly. “My family does not get parole from grief.”
Colon repeatedly apologized for the shooting during the hearing, which lasted about four hours.
“I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused,” said Colon, who was 20 when he fatally shot Hanna during a traffic stop in Auburn. “My crime was inexcusable.”
Colon, who is serving a life sentence, became eligible to seek release for the first time, after the state Supreme Judicial Court in 2024 banned life without parole for offenders convicted of crimes they committed when they were between ages 18 and 20.
Colon had arrived in Worcester from Puerto Rico two-and-a-half weeks before the shooting and moved into an apartment with his sister and brother-in-law, Abimael Colon-Cruz, one of his codefendants.
On Feb. 25, 1983, he was involved in an armed robbery at a furniture store near his sister’s apartment, according testimony before the Parole Board. He was convicted of the offense, but denied being involved during his testimony on Thursday.
The day after the furniture store robbery, Colon, Colon-Cruz, and his cousin, Miguel Rosado, each armed themselves with firearms and drove to Auburn, where they planned to rob a liquor store.
Hanna, 36, pulled over their vehicle near the liquor store on Route 20 and ordered the three men out of the car. A struggle broke, leading to gunfire.
The trooper, a married father of three, suffered seven gunshot wounds and his assailants stole his service weapon.
Hanna was rushed to a hospital in Worcester, arriving there conscious and begging for a priest to perform Last Rites, according to Robert Meier, a retired State Police sergeant who investigated the shooting and testified Thursday.
“He knew he was going to die,” Meier said. Hanna died during surgery.
Colon’s parole request is opposed by Governor Maura Healey, who sent a letter to the board on Tuesday, and State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble, who testified before the board on Thursday.
“When Jose Colon’s bullets pierced the French and electric blue uniform and entered George’s body, I believe that action forfeited Jose Colon’s expectation to live as a free man in our civilized society,” Noble said.
Hanna’s brother, John, who is also a State Police trooper, and the Worcester district attorney’s office also opposed Colon’s petition.
In 1985, Colon, Colon-Cruz, and Rosado were convicted of first-degree murder for the killing and sentenced to life without parole.
The 2024 SJC decision for young offenders cited brain research showing people in that age group are not fully mature and share the “core neurological characteristics” of juveniles. The ruling found life terms without possibility of parole for young offenders constitute cruel and unusual punishment and acknowledged young people have the capacity to change.
Rosado and Colon-Cruz were 32 at the time of the shooting and remain ineligible for parole. They are in the custody of the state Department of Correction.
Colon’s lawyer, Shannon Lopez, encouraged the board to consider his remorse, the self reflection he’s engaged in through religion, and his desire to contribute to society in a positive way.
“Mr. Colon wants to be more than the tragic night he murdered Trooper Hanna,” she said.
As of Thursday, the Parole Board has decided 59 cases for newly eligible applicants and granted release to 45, three-quarters.
In cases where parole was denied, the board cited long disciplinary histories and failures to participate in programming.
Among those who were turned down was Dalton Simpson, who was convicted of fatally shooting Berisford Wayne Anderson, an off-duty Boston police officer, in 1994.
Parole Board members appeared skeptical of Colon’s suitability for release. Some said they were concerned Colon hadn’t adequately availed himself of programming opportunities for self improvement and asked him about rule violations he was accused of at the end of last year.
Colon said the prison system limited his programming opportunities because he was ineligible for parole for most of his incarceration and denied breaking prison rules, including allegations that he consumed synthetic cannabinoids.
Some Parole Board members told Colon that others who faced similar circumstances found ways to access programming.
“Remorse without accountability is not indicative of rehabilitation,” said Charlene Bonner, a forensic psychologist who serves on the board.
Several board members told Colon they didn’t fully believe his account of the shooting. Colon said he opened fire because he feared Colon-Cruz was struggling with Hanna and kept his eyes closed as he pulled the trigger on the .22 caliber revolver.
Board members pointed to evidence that Colon-Cruz fired his weapon during the confrontation and Hanna was struck repeatedly by gunfire from Colon’s revolver.
“It seems to me Trooper Hanna was the one who was in trouble,” said James Kelcourse, a Parole Board member.
“I agree,” said Colon.
The board did not specify when it will release its decision.
After the killing, the state honored Hanna by established a bravery award in his name which is presented annually. The Hanna Award Medal of Honor is the most prestigious honor in Massachusetts for law enforcement officers and has been presented to 190 people over 42 years.
Angelo Gomez Jr., chairperson of the Parole Board, asked Colon if he knew who the Hanna Award is intended to honor.
“For heroes,” he said.
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