A man who killed State Police Trooper George Hanna will remain behind bars after his first opportunity for parole since the 1983 murder was denied.
“The [Parole] Board concludes that Jose Colon has not demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society,” the board’s chair Angelo Gomez wrote in a decision issued Monday.
His parole will be reviewed in three years from the date of his January hearing, the decision said.
The board cited a lack of accountability in Colon’s statements at his parole hearing, sparse in-prison education and programing, and potential substance use in their reasoning for the denial.
Colon, 63, shot and killed Hanna during a traffic stop in Auburn after robbing a liquor store with two other defendants. He was initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, but the 2024 Commonwealth v. Mattis’ decision opened the door for his potential release.
The Supreme Judicial Court ruled in that case that sentencing defendants who were emerging adults — between 18 and 20 years old — at the time of the crime was unconstitutional. Colon was 20 when he shot Hanna.
At his January parole hearing, Colon expressed regret and remorse for shooting Hanna.
But the board members said they had concerns that he wasn’t taking full accountability following his statements, a sentiment echoed in the written denial.
“The Board found his version of the murder of Trooper Hanna to lack full accountability,” the decision said. “Although he accepts responsibility, Mr. Colon maintains that he closed his eyes and fired his gun 6 times, hitting Trooper Hanna all 6 times. He insists he had no intention of harming or killing Trooper Hanna.”
Colon also denied robbing the liquor store before the killing.
The board also doubted Colon’s claim that he’s been sober in prison for 30 years, noting recent cannabinoid infractions on his correctional record.
“The Board accepts that Mr. Colon had not been afforded much programming or treatment prior to the Mattis decision,” Gomez wrote, “however, the Board finds that he is in need of treatment to address his history of trauma and other precipitants he has identified as contributing factors leading to his offending behavior.”
The decision recommended in a future hearing that he address their concerns, specifically the accountability and treatment issues.
At the January, Hanna’s family and several officials wrote or spoke against Colon’s parole, including State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble and Gov. Maura Healey.
Healey said in a statement following the decision that her heart was with the Hanna family.
“More than four decades after Trooper George Hanna was brutally murdered while serving and protecting the people of Massachusetts, his loss continues to be felt by his family, fellow law enforcement officers and communities across our state,” Healey said. “Today’s decision recognizes the magnitude of that loss and provides some measure of relief to those who have fought to ensure his memory is never forgotten.”
Hanna’s daughters had carried photos of their dad to Colon’s hearing and urged the board to deny parole.
“My father does not get parole from death. My family does not get parole from grief,” Deb Hanna said at the hearing. “I am asking you, from the deepest place of love and loss, do not release the man who took my dad from us.”
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