A gangster convicted of the murder of an NYPD probation officer in the 1980s, and linked to the death of a rookie officer, asks for a compassionate release from jail because prison doesn’t suit his diet. vegan and it’s causing you stress.
Lorenzo ‘Fat Cat’ Nichols, 63, is serving a 25-year and 40-year life sentence simultaneously, but has asked a judge to release him due to migraines and the ‘stress’ of the prison lifestyle, according to NY. Daily News.
“Even though I try to stay strong, the stress is weighing me down and has raised my blood pressure,” the drug lord said in a letter to Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Edward Korman.
Nichols reportedly submitted the statement to the judge in mid-August and is currently awaiting a response.
Lorenzo ‘Fat Cat’ Nichols is responsible for multiple deaths, including that of NYPD probation officer Brian Rooney, as well as being involved in the death of rookie cop Eddie Byrne.
In the letter, Nichols also talks about the ‘mistakes’ he has made in life, as well as his health problems and the family events and deaths he missed while in prison.
While he talks about the “mistakes” he made, he doesn’t mention his victims, including NYPD officers and his ex-girlfriend, according to the NY Daily news.
In addition to his sentence of 25 years to life, the convicted murderer is also serving a concurrent sentence of 40 years to life at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
Earlier this year, the criminal was granted state probation and transferred to federal custody.
MDC Brooklyn, the jail where Lorenzo ‘Fat Cat’ Nichols is currently serving his sentence
‘This murderous drug lord and cop killer must not move an inch closer to freedom. Our hero brother, police officer Edward Byrne, sacrificed his life to rid our town of Nichols and his gang,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said at the time.
Nichols ordered the murder of NYPD probation officer Brian Rooney after the officer cited him for a probation violation stemming from previous drug charges.
Rooney was sitting in his car on 119th Avenue in October 1985 when another car pulled up next to his and a suspect inside the car opened fire. The NYPD police officer was hit in the head, back and left arm.
Officer Rooney was a four-year veteran of the force and left behind a wife and son.
NYPD parole officer Brian Rooney, shot to death in October 1985
Nichols later pleaded guilty to ordering Rooney’s murder.
Although not charged, ‘Fat Cat’ is also believed to have been involved in the shooting death of rookie NYPD officer Edward Byrne by members of Nichols’ drug ring.
Byrne had been on the force for just seven months when he was brutally murdered in southern Jamaica. He was 22 years old.
The NYPD rookie had been protecting a witness in a drug case when a suspect approached his marked vehicle and shot him five times in the head.
Rookie NYPD officer Eddie Byrne brutally murdered in the line of duty in 1988
If released, the drug lord also faces a 10-year prison sentence that he still has to serve in Florida.
The Associated Press reported in 2006 that Nichols was part of a grand auto theft scheme in which he helped sell more than $8 million worth of vehicles over five years.
Authorities said at the time that “Fat Cat,” while behind bars from 1999 to 2005, helped move about 250 vehicles from Florida to buyers in 14 other states.
Nichols has already spent 34 years in prison for his crimes.
Lorenzo ‘Fat Cat’ Nichols smiles in a photo before his arrest and sentencing for murder
According to the NY Daily News, the drug lord complained to Judge Korman that his previous time in state prison did not count toward his current sentence with federal law enforcement.
Korman suggested that the Nichols apply for compassionate release, however it is unclear if their request will be granted.
