The New York City policeman convicted of killing an Irish immigrant, Mr Hessy Phelan, in a Bronx apartment was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison yesterday.
During her statement to Judge Steven Barrett, Phelan's mother, Anna, turned to Richard Molloy and asked why he had still not looked at her.
"That man over there shot my son down. I blame the NYPD for allowing him to walk the streets," she said.
"I didn't kill your son, Mrs Phelan. You know that," Molloy replied. He was convicted on April 20th of second-degree manslaughter.
During a six-week trial his defence lawyers had portrayed him as the victim of tragic circumstances. Early on the morning of January 21st, 1996, Mr Phelan and Molloy left a Bronx bar together. Less than an hour later Mr Phelan was dead.
Molloy's lawyers said Mr Phelan removed Molloy's police handgun from its holster and shot himself in the head.