Chicago City Wire

Chicago police are steaming over the release by an appellate judge of cop killer Ronnie Carrasquillo, who in 1976 ambushed and murdered police office Terrence Loftus, 36, in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Second City Cop, a blog with 50,000 followers, blew up at both Carrasquillo, 65, and his attorney, Thomas Breen, after Cook County Judge Associate Cook County Judge Alfredo Maldonado resentenced Carrasquillo, which led to his release after 46 years in prison.

“Scumbag (Carrasquillo) didn't even bother to keep his story straight over the years, changing it in an effort to play on the liberal sympathies of the parole board,” the bloggers stated in a recent post.

“Carrasquillo admitted to the killing but has described the shooting as accidental, the records show. He’s said that he leaned on the car because he recently had been stabbed and had limited use of his left arm, according to the records. The board has noted claims that Carrasquillo made in the past that he was firing warning shots.

“And here's a real kick in the teeth,” the statement continued.

“Before Carrasquillo’s May parole board hearing, Thomas Breen, who prosecuted the Carrasquillo case as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, indicated to the board that Loftus’ killing wasn’t intentional, according to records from a February board meeting.

Breen said “this was a difficult case with several witnesses that had been abused in the police station.” The records show that Breen has stated that he is “astounded” that Carrasquillo hasn’t been paroled yet.

The Chicago Tribune reported that attorney Tim Grace, who appeared on behalf of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and the Loftus family, presented letters to Judge Maldonado opposing the release.

“They don’t know if this guy’s sincere,” Grace told the court. “He callously made a decision to shoot a gun at a police officer.

“He’s a person who lost the prime of his life,” he said of Loftus. “This is a guy who served his community (and missed) his entire life at a young age.”

Loftus was shot during the early morning hours of Oct. 10, 1976, after he ended his shift.

“Anyone know how many Little League teams Officer Loftus might have mentored?” Second City Cop said. “How many School Boards or Community Councils he might have sat on? How many sons he would have raised or daughters he might have walked down the aisle and how many grandchildren he might be bouncing on his knee had he lived?”

Chicago FOP President John Catanzara did not respond to a request for reaction to Carrasquillo’s release.