Cop killer denied parole

A man who abetted the murder of a police officer back in 1978 was denied parole this month.

According to reports, on December 28, 1978, 68th Precinct Police Officer David Guttenberg noticed a double-parked car outside an auto repair shop on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 86th Street.

Instead of just writing a ticket, he went inside to ask the person to move the car. When he entered, he stumbled upon a robbery in progress. A man named Pablo Costello immediately fled when he saw Guttenberg enter and made away in the double-parked car, which was the getaway car.

During the trial, it was revealed that Costello held the door open while the officer entered the shop, not warning him of the robbery. Guttenberg was shot dead, without having the opportunity to draw his weapon.

Costello was sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison because of the part he played in Guttenberg’s murder. The man who pulled the trigger, Luis Torres, died in prison.

Costello is currently being held upstate in Green Haven Correctional Facility, where he began his sentence on July 31, 1980. Costello was denied parole by the parole board this week.

Guttenberg’s daughter, Helaine Guttenberg-Ginsberg, organized an online petition to deny Costello’s parole, collecting 1,597 signatures. It was delivered to the parole board on July 26.

State Senator Marty Golden wrote a letter to Andrea Evans, chair of the New York State Division of Parole, asking “that this cold blooded killer not be allowed parole.

“As a former New York City police officer myself, I understand firsthand how important it is that we not allow murderers of police officers to enjoy revolving-door justice when it comes to their crimes,” Golden went on. “These criminals are exceptionally dangerous to society because they simply have no regard for humanity.”