US News

1971 COP KILLER LOSES PAROLE BID

ALBANY – Double cop-killer Herman Bell yesterday was denied his first attempt at parole.

“It’s a big relief because it takes a lot out of us,” said Diane Piagentini, the widow of one of the slain NYPD cops, Joseph Piagentini.

“When he comes up for parole, I relive everything again,” Piagentini said. “He should never walk the streets again, not for the crime he committed.”

Bell, now 55, along with two other Black Liberation Army members, were sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1971 execution murders of Piagentini and partner Waverly Jones in Harlem.

In keeping him behind bars for at least another two years – when his next hearing will take place – a three-person state parole panel yesterday said the viciousness of his crime outweighed his work behind bars earning a college degree and counseling inmates.