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NJ child killer up for parole

Associated Press reporter Angela Delli Santi writes:

The one-time high school chemistry teacher who raped and killed 7-year-old
Joan D'Alessandro in 1973 is up for parole Monday.
It's the third time East Jersey State Prison inmate Joseph McGowan has come before the state
Parole Board. His release was denied in 1993 and 1998.
The victim's mother, Rosemarie, lobbied successfully for state and federal versions of Joan's
Law, which eliminate parole eligibility for anyone convicted of murdering a child while committing
a sex crime. The laws are too late to affect her case.
Board members can deny the 62-year-old parole or refer his case to the full Parole Board.
A 2002 parole hearing found McGowan unwilling to take responsibility for murdering his
neighbor as she delivered Girl Scout cookies in Hillsdale, Bergen County.

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