Convicted Killer LaBarbara Gets Parole Hearing Today

Convicted killer Richard LaBarbara is scheduled to have a parole hearing today, with official notice of the board's decision expected later this week.

LaBarbara and Robert McCain were convicted of murdering 16-year-old Paula Bohovesky. They attacked her while she was walking home from her part-time job at the Pearl River Public Library on Oct. 28, 1980.

LaBarbara and McCain were given sentences of 25-years-to-life. They first became eligible for parole in 2005 and now they come before the state Parole Board every two years. McCain's hearing is scheduled for June 13.

Paula Bohovesky was beaten, sexually assaulted and stabbed repeatedly. Her mother, Lois Bohovesky, and brother Peter are both expected to appear before the parole board as part of their ongoing battle to keep Paula's killers in jail.

Legislator John Murphy (R-Pearl River) helped establish the website Petition for Paula to inform the public, keep Bohovesky's memory alive and gather petition signatures to send to the parole board. The Rockland County Legislature and Orangetown Town Board have also petitioned to keep LaBarbara and McCain in jail.

According to prison records, LaBarbera, 58, is an inmate at the maximum security Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, NY. When Paula Bohovesky was killed, LaBarbera was out of prison on parole — he had been convicted of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, according to prison records.