New York state’s longest serving inmate has died in prison. James Moore was tied to a brutal crime in the Rochester area.
He pled guilty to first-degree murder after 14-year-old Pamela Moss of Penfield was raped and murdered in 1962.
Moore died April 30 at Coxsackie Correctional Facility in Greene County. He was 90 years old.
Moore was granted parole by a New York parole board in 2022, but a statement this week from the New York Dept. of Corrections and Community Supervision said that prior to being released to community supervision, all incarcerated individuals must complete certain steps including having approved housing.
Officials said that Moore was unable to provide a proposed residence that was suitable to his needs.
The state agency says it made several referrals for Moore to potential locations that could provide him with the necessary level of care, but stated that he refused being released to those residences and remained at the state prison until his death on April 30.
Moore had originally agreed to spend the rest of his life in person to avoid the death penalty, but a change in state law allowed him to go before the parole board, which he did a number of times over the years, with various Monroe County District Attorneys opposing his release.
He was eventually granted parole in 2022.
