Katy Hawelka's killer gets parole, but it's a mystery why
The man who brutally killed Katherine “Katy” Hawelka on the Clarkson University campus in Potsdam, New York, a little more than 40 years ago, has been granted parole despite his sticking to a version of events that even the commissioners who freed him found hard to believe.
Previous parole boards also didn't buy Brian McCarthy's efforts to minimize his actions as he falsely claimed that he only struck the Clarkson sophomore once following a consensual sexual encounter.
This time, the board's skepticism didn't stand in the way of his release.
The October 27 decision by three New York parole commissioners offers no written explanation of why they granted parole to McCarthy, now 64, with an earliest release date of December 10. WWNY-TV in Watertown has since reported that the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said McCarthy would be released before February 24, 2027.
The board also imposed parole conditions on McCarthy. Some of these are blacked out in the public document announcing the decision, making it impossible to determine the full extent of the restrictions McCarthy will face. Among the visible requirements are prohibitions against drinking alcohol and entering bars without permission of his parole officer. He must also submit to substance-abuse testing, comply with a curfew, and observe geographic restrictions imposed by his parole officer.
The decision concludes: “All Commissioners concur.”
In two books I wrote on Katy's murder, A Stranger Killed Katy and The Long Shadow of Katy's Killer, I documented the long and complicated developments over the past four decades, including continuing efforts by Katy's family in Syracuse to oppose parole.
Back in 1986, McCarthy confessed to police that he ambushed Katy outside Clarkson's ice hockey arena as she was walking back to the campus in darkness. He beat, sexually assaulted, and strangled her. During questioning, he made it clear he was a stranger to Katy, someone with whom he had no prior contact. He never once mentioned her name. He pleaded guilty in 1987 to second-degree murder committed during an attempted rape and received a sentence of 23 years to life.
But since his first parole hearing in 2009, McCarthy has presented a very different story. He claims that Katy willingly engaged in sexual contact with him and that he became violent, striking her once, only after she laughed at him because he couldn't perform sexually.
At the October 27 parole hearing, held via video conference with McCarthy at Otisville Correctional Facility, the commissioners didn't seem particularly impressed with his account, according to a heavily redacted transcript that the state released.
Commissioner Jose Gomerez wanted to know how McCarthy, who wasn't a Clarkson student or employee, supposedly knew Katy.
“I'm not putting two and two together,” Gomerez told him.
A little later, he added: “I can't grasp the conduct.”
Commissioner Donna Henken seemed equally puzzled. She wanted to know whether McCarthy was claiming that Katy had consented to sex outside the hockey arena prior to the attack, which occurred around 3:30 in the morning.
“Are you suggesting that she consented to having intercourse with you on this pathway … is that what you're suggesting?” Henken asked.
"Those are the signals that I took, that I was reading, yes,” McCarthy replied.
Katy's family has responded to the parole board's decision with a mix of anguish and determination to continue seeking justice. They wrote on Facebook:
"With heavy hearts, our family is devastated to share that the New York State Parole Board has granted parole to Brian McCarthy, the degenerate who murdered Katy Hawelka on August 29, 1986. His anticipated release is on or about December 10, 2026.
"For 40 years and 10 parole hearings, we have shown up to fight for Katy and trusted that justice would prevail. We never imagined that this release could become a reality. As recently as April 2025, a panel of 3 commissioners found his account of her death not credible and concluded that his rehabilitation was not complete. Nothing can bring Katy back, and our precious memories can never be taken away.
"We are in utter shock… Katy is remembered, she is loved, and she will never be forgotten. Keep the faith, our fight is not over."
The family on November 12 issued an additional statement (see below) saying the board's decision “puts the public at risk,” and calling for the state to determine whether McCarthy must register as a sex offender.
It also called on the state to ensure McCarthy is prohibited from contacting Katy’s family and friends.
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