Nutty Professor Killed Her Brother in 1986, Was Released on Orders From Delahunt

Looks like Massachusetts Democrat William Delahunt has some explaining to do.

The biology professor accused of gunning down five colleagues and a staff member at the University of Alabama on Friday was released from police custody 23 years ago after she allegedly shot and killed her brother in Braintree, police announced Saturday.

Braintree Police Chief Paul Frazier said Amy Bishop was detained following the death of her brother on Dec. 6, 1986, then released without being charged.

Frazier said Amy Bishop shot her 18-year-old brother, Seth Bishop, in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun at the family’s home in Braintree, then ran into the street and aimed the gun at a passing vehicle before fleeing from the scene. Amy Bishop, who was 20 at the time, was arrested at gunpoint by Braintree officers.

Bishop was never booked, however, and all police records of the case have gone missing, with the exception of an entry in the police log noting an accidental shooting, Frazier said.

Bishop, now 42, faces a capital murder charge in the campus shooting Friday, which left three biology professors dead and another two critically wounded. A university staff member was also hurt.

Braintree officers who remember the 1986 shooting said that former police Chief John Polio dismissed detectives from the case and ordered the department to release Amy Bishop after a telephone conversation with former district attorney William Delahunt.

Delahunt is currently a U.S. congressman from Massachusetts.

Here's a statement from the current Braintree police chief.

I (Chief Frazier) spoke with the retired Deputy Chief who was then a Lieutenant and was responsible for booking Ms. Bishop. He said he had started the process when he received a phone call he believes was from then Police Chief John Polio or possibly from a captain on Chief Polio’s behalf. He was instructed to stop the booking process. At some point Ms. Bishop was turned over to her mother and they left the building via a rear exit.

Braintree Police Lieutenant Karen MacAleese was a high school classmate and confirmed from photographs that the suspect is the same Amy Bishop who lived in Braintree.

I was not on duty at the time of the incident, but I recall how frustrated the members of the department were over the release of Ms. Bishop. It was a difficult time for the department as there had been three (3) shooting incidents within a short timeframe. The release of Ms. Bishop did not sit well with the police officers and I can assure you that this would not happen in this day and age.

Oh, and the records from the incident? Well, they simply disappeared. How convenient Bishop's mother was well-connected.

Chief Frazier said Judy Bishop, Amy's mother, was on the town Board of Personnel at the time. Any connection between the 1986 case and her mother's position would be speculative.

The records of the 1986 shooting, according to Chief Frazier who was on duty at the time of the incident, are now missing.

More here.

Whoever this is is greatly offended some people are calling Bishop a socialist. Aww, what a shame.