Convicted killer on parole arrested for groping woman at New York dog park, police say
There's outrage in a New York community after a man convicted of murder and released on parole was arrested again.
Robert McCain is back behind bars after he was paroled four decades after the murder of 16-year-old Paula Bohovesky in Pearl River.
Man convicted in 1980 murder case arrested on parole
McCain was arrested Wednesday after an alleged incident at the Town of Cortlandt Dog Park in northern Westchester County. Police said he was chatting with a woman when he suddenly forcibly touched her.
McCain is one of two men convicted in the 1980 murder of Bohovesky and sent to prison. The teenage victim was grabbed off the street near an abandoned home and killed after leaving work at the Pearl River Library.
"It's very heartbreaking. We used to have a business in Pearl River, so I do remember it very well," Fran Gudin, a Rockland County resident, said.
McCain was released on parole four years ago, which angered the community at the time.
"It's only a matter of time before that individual offends again"
Congressman Mike Lawler is among the many who actively opposed McCain's parole in 2021.
"When you release somebody who is capable of committing such a heinous act, without any remorse ... That is only a matter of time before that individual offends again," Lawler said.
Bohovesky's mother, who still lives nearby, said she was afraid McCain would re-offend after being released.
"They'll probably let him back out again. It's not fair. The justice system is not where it should be," said Kathy Kivlehan, another Rockland County resident.
McCain denied any involvement in Bohovesky's murder at his 2019 parole hearing, but the state moved to revoke his parole on Friday. He will spend the weekend at the Westchester County lockup before a court appearance next week.
