Bedford Hills Correctional Facility has been home to convicted killer Laurie Kellogg for half her life.
Her young, innocent look is far different all those years ago at the Waterloo trial.
The sensational and lurid details of this crime and trial included testimony of alleged sexual abuse and murder for hire so dramatic it became national news and a made-for-TV movie.
The plot twisted crime takes place on a summer night in 1991 when Kellogg and four teenagers drive with a loaded gun from a Pennsylvania town to a camp on Cayuga Lake in Seneca County. Laurie’s husband , 43-year-old Bruce Kellogg, is inside. One of the teens, 17-year-old Denver McDowell, enters the home and fires four shots into Bruce’s head while he sleeps.
McDowell pleaded guilty and testified against Kellogg. He was sentenced to 50 years to life, later reduced to 25 to life.
Kellogg, now 54, claimed she had been abused by Kellogg, but never meant for him to be killed. The jury still found her guilty of second degree murder for masterminding the crime.
She was sentenced to 25 to life.
The parole board will have much to consider when Kellogg stands before them. She is expected to come to the table armed with plenty of ammunition to prove her case and the support of a Manhattan judge who ordered her release.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron issued a judgment against the New York State Board of Parole, stating: “Any further time would be cruel, if not unusual, punishment. … As a matter of law, petitioner has served her sentence and is entitled to be released. The only appropriate remedy is to order the Parole Board to grant petitioner parole.”
In this paperwork, Judge Engoron also states that the 25 years to life must mean something. He says if Laurie Kellogg – a pristine prisoner, in his words – is not released now, the 25 years is meaningless.
Here is what Kellogg is expected to have in her defense:
- A psychological report at the time of her trial alleging she was a battered woman.
- Documentation of an “impeccable record while incarcerated.”
- Evidence of a Risk Assessment stating she is at the “Lowest Risk Level” of future trouble with the law.
- Evidence of support, housing and job opportunities following release.
At one point, depending on who was asked, Kellogg was described as an innocent battered victim on one hand or manipulating cold-blooded killed on the other.
However the parole board reacts, this disturbing yet captivating case will once again be in the spotlight.