ORANGE — As state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, arrived at an event on economic development Friday, dozens of protesters approached, turning their signs to face her.
On some of the signs were the faces of Thomas Harty and Joanna Fisher, an elderly couple that was murdered in a home invasion in 2016.
“Punish killers,” one person called.
Comerford did not address protesters, but made her way into the building.
Friday’s event at the Orange Innovation Center, “Building Blocks for Community Development,” was a forum with Comerford, state Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, and state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, for local businesses and community members, with topics ranging from education to eco-tourism.
But in the parking lot outside — the protest was not allowed into the building — the focus was on proposed state legislation, House No. 3358 and Senate No. 826, which would allow convicted first degree murderers a parole hearing after 25 years. The two identical bills are titled “An Act to Reduce Mass Incarceration,” and Comerford is a co-sponsor of the Senate bill, with main sponsor being Sen. Joseph Boncore, D-Winthrop.
Protesters, and the Harty and Fisher families, have asked Comerford to withdraw her support for the bill, which she has not.
“The whole community is out for the same reason,” said Pat Andrews, of Orange. “We just want to get it right.”
The bills would by-and-large scrap Massachusetts’ harshest criminal penalty and the mandatory sentence for first degree murderers: life in prison without the possibility of parole. In Massachusetts, a first degree murder is a murder that is premeditated, extremely cruel or atrocious, or carried out during the committing of a separate felony.
Exceptions are made in the bill for those who have been convicted of two first degree murders that happened on separate occasions. The bill would apply to murderers like Joshua Hart and Brittany Smith, of Athol, who were convicted in 2018 of the home invasion and killings of Harty, 95, and his wife, Fisher, 77. Hart and Smith, 25 and 29 years old at the time of sentencing, respectively, were found to have committed the murders with extreme cruelty.
“There are unacceptable acts of violence, and we cannot just turn over sentences that have had a tremendous amount of investment in time, emotions, money,” said Denise Andrews, of Orange. “Tom and Joanna were two of the best people I’ve ever met, and some of the best Christians on the planet.”
Denise Andrews, a former state legislator herself, said she appreciates Comerford as a state senator who works hard, but it’s the people’s job to let her know the bills are unacceptable.
“I’m very concerned about the erosion of standards in society,” she said.
Comerford made comments earlier in the week that she had given the proposed legislation a tremendous amount of thought, and will continue to, but she is at present continuing to support the bills. She pointed out the bills offer only a parole hearing and do not guarantee parole, and that those who have a chance of parole have a greater potential for reform.
But for many of the protesters present Friday, the bills seemed plainly wrong.
“Common sense is the best solution,” Richard Hill said. “There’s no need to complicate it.”
Rick Fisher, Joanna Fisher’s son, drove up from Cape Cod to attend the event. He said he wants to raise awareness of the bill, even if others might support it.
“It’s very important to raise the awareness that this bill exists,” he said. “It just seems very quiet. There’s not the awareness in politics at the local level compared to nationally.”
During the economic development event inside, the only mention of the protest came from Gobi, who said bills can change radically from when legislators sign on to them, and there are always opportunities to “make things better.”
“It’s good we live in a country where everybody can say how they feel,” she said.
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.