Help keep killer William Sodders, DIN #99A1352, in prison for life for the 1997 murder of FDNY Firefighter James Halversen. Please help us oppose parole by sending a letter to Ms. Alice Smith, Supervising Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator, Otisville Correctional Facility, P.O. Box 8, Otisville, NY 10963-0008 (email [email protected]). We have included a sample letter below.
Ms. Alice Smith
Supervising Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator
Otisville Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 8
Otisville, NY 10963-0008
RE: Williams Sodders, DIN #99A1352
Dear Ms. Smith:
I urge you to deny parole to New York State prisoner William Sodders who has been serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for the merciless and senseless killing of Firefighter James Halversen of the Fire Department of the City of New York.
In January of 1997, 30-year-old Firefighter Halversen was off-duty and jogging on the track of a local high school near his Long Island home when he was shot dead for no reason by Sodders. The body was later found Halversen’s own pregnant wife. Firefighter Halversen had been shot once in the chest and twice in the legs.
Halversen was a hard-working family man, a marathon runner, a cycling enthusiast, a loving husband, and a father to a four-year-old at the time of his death. He was an industrious worker who would take on construction and handyman jobs to support his growing family and supplement his firefighter’s income. His wife was expecting twins at the time he was killed. Ironically, Halversen had undergone NYPD training, but not wanting to carry firearms, he became a firefighter instead. His wife miraculously gave birth to twins a month after she found her husband’s lifeless body on the high school track.
The killer, William Sodders, was eventually turned in to police by his own father, because he posed a danger to his own family. There was no motive for the killing: 22-year-old Sodders was simply a devotee of violence and had a senseless desire to kill a random victim. After shooting Halversen, the killer went home, calmly ate dinner and watched films. He was a remorseless, cold blooded psychopath with a stolen 9mm handgun.
Now this ruthless murderer seeks parole. This is an affront to the family of Firefighter Halversen and to law-abiding citizens everywhere.
I urge the New York State Division of Parole to fulfill its obligation to safeguard the citizens of our State. I respectfully request that the New York State Division of Parole deny the parole petition of William Sodders.
Thank you for your consideration of my opinion. I am,
Cordially yours,
