The above marker is affixed to a memorial bench on the Pennsy Tracks walking trail dedicated to Penny Brown.

The convicted murderer of a Salamanca woman has been released from prison, but has not been released in Western New York.

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Edward Kindt, who was convicted for raping and murdering Penny Brown in Salamanca in 1999 when he was 15 years old, was released from prison Thursday and taken to Dutchess County.

It’s not clear if he’ll face parole-related restrictions. Kindt, who is Seneca, was recently banned from all Seneca Nation territories for at least a year.

Kindt, who is now 39, was granted parole on February 17 after being denied multiple times in the past. He was originally sentenced to nine years to life in prison until former State Senator Cathy Young helped pass Penny’s Law, which increased the second-degree murder sentence for someone under 16 years old to 15 years to life.

State Senator George Borrello released a statement, saying, “In a call this morning with the Department of Correction and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci, I learned that killer Edward Kindt has been released on parole to an undisclosed location in Duchess County. While I am glad he has not been released into the community where he caused so much pain, this sexual predator and murderer remains a threat to the safety of all New Yorkers and should be spending the rest of his natural life behind bars. ”

Borrello added that he believes Governor Kathy Hochul should replace State Parole Board members with members “who will choose public safety over politics.”

The above marker is affixed to a memorial bench on the Pennsy Tracks walking trail dedicated to Penny Brown.

State Senator George Borrello is urging the State Parole Board to reconsider the approval of the release of a man who killed a Salamanca woman.

Edward Kindt was convicted of the rape and murder of Penny Brown on Mother’s Day in 1999.

Because he was 15 at the time of the killing, he was spared a life term on his plea to second degree murder and sentenced to nine years to life in prison, the maximum sentence available for a juvenile at the time.

Following the conviction, the State Legislature closed the loophole in the law that prevented Kindt from being charged as an adult with the 2003 passage of “Penny’s Law.” That statute raised the sentence for 14- and 15-year-olds convicted of second-degree murder.

Senator Borrello stressed the harm of the decision to release Kindt and urged the Parole Board and state leaders to show more concern for victims and public safety, saying, “I’ve written to the Parole Board about this travesty and requested that they reverse this terrible decision in the name of justice and the safety of the community. Penny Brown’s family has suffered more than we can imagine and deserve better than to have to live with the knowledge that this dangerous killer is out in society, free to victimize others. He should never walk free again. The Parole Board and our state leaders need to get their priorities straight. There is an unreasonable concern for the rights and freedoms of violent criminals and none for crime victims and public safety.”