A man convicted of in the 1991 shooting death of a Connecticut State Police trooper has been denied parole.
Duane Johnson went before the state Board of Pardons and Parole on Friday.
Johnson, along with his brother, Terry Johnson, were convicted of killing Trooper Russell Bagshaw when he interrupted them during a burglary of a sporting goods store in Windham on June 5, 1991.
Duane Johnson was originally sentenced to life in prison without parole. That sentence was later reduced to include the possibility of parole and a release date in 2035.
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The brothers were stealing guns from the store when Trooper Bagshaw pulled up in his police cruiser, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Terry Johnson fired at the car, striking Trooper Bagshaw in the chest and killing him.
Trooper Bagshaw didn't even have time to use his radio to call for help, according to Connecticut State Police. He was 28 years old at the time of his death and he was employed with state police for four years.
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"A native son of our state, he was born in Manchester and lived in Columbia with his new wife, Carol. Not only was he a husband, but he was a brother, a son, and a valued member of the Connecticut State Police and the communities he served. Every June 5, on the anniversary of Trooper Bagshaw’s murder, Bagshaw family members and colleagues from the Connecticut State Police leave flowers on his memorial in front of Columbia Town Hall, and at the Colchester barracks," Colonel Daniel Loughman said in a statement.
Duane Johnson, now 52, accepted responsibility for his role in the trooper's killing in his statement to the board members on Friday.
The board also heard from Trooper Bagshaw's family members, including his twin brother and his widow, who opposed Johnson's early release from prison.
"My husband, proud Connecticut State Trooper Russell Alan Bagshaw, badge number 534, died in a hail of gunfire alone in his car," Carol Bagshaw said in her statement to the board.
She told them the parole process has revictimized her and the rest of Bagshaw's family.
"My sentence has never, and will never end," she said.
Connecticut State Police issued a statement after the decision, reading in part:
"We applaud the unanimous decision of the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Parole to deny the parole application of Duane Johnson. The pain that accompanies the loss of Trooper Russell Bagshaw has never diminished, and the murder of Trooper Bagshaw will always be a reminder of the malevolent criminal behavior that Duane Johnson is capable of.
June 5, 1991 lives in infamy in the minds and psyche of all Connecticut State Troopers, active and retired. Early that morning, Trooper Russell Bagshaw interrupted Duane Johnson and his brother, Terry, as they were stealing weapons and ammunition from the Land and Sea Sports Center in North Windham. Before Trooper Bagshaw could even exit his car, Terry Johnson fired 17 hollow point bullets at him within the span of seconds...
...While Duane and Terry Johnson’s horrific crime occurred over 30 years ago, the impact of their actions continue to this day. Reminders of Trooper Bagshaw’s sacrifice populate our state: our Troop H Troopers drive the “Trooper Russell A. Bagshaw Memorial Highway” (I-384) every day; a monument at the Manchester Little League field greets ballplayers in the town where Russ grew up; and every visitor to the State Police Headquarters in Middletown, including all of our 928 active troopers, see Trooper Bagshaw’s memorial when they come in our front doors. These memorials serve as a reminder of the risks our troopers willingly assume every day to protect the public. But with the acceptance of that risk should come a related obligation of our judicial system to hold those responsible for killing police officers to the full measure of justice." Today, we are grateful for the upholding of that justice by the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Parole."
