Judith Clark granted parole for role in 1981 Brink's truck heist

April 17 (UPI) -- Former Weather Underground activist Judith Clark was granted parole Wednesday after serving nearly 40 years in prison for her role in an armored truck robbery.

Clark's attorney, Michael Cardozo, announced that the 69-year-old was granted parole after being convicted of murder for the robbery of a Brink's truck in 1981 that resulted in the deaths of a security guard and two police officers.

"We are grateful that the parole board affirmed what everyone who has interacted with Judy already knows -- that she is a rehabilitated, remorseful woman who poses no threat to society," Cardozo said.

Clark was originally sentenced to 75 years in prison for her role in the deadly robbery and has sine described herself as a "single-minded fanatic ... at war with America" and a "blinded revolutionary" at the time.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo commuted her sentence in 2016, allowing her the opportunity to be paroled.

"She talked about her sorrow, her complicity and why she did it," Cuomo said at the time. "I found it very impressive overall."

Officials stated that Clark trained service dogs, started an AIDS education program and counseled mothers while in prison. These factors, along with her advanced age and the 38 years she had previously served played a role in the decision.

The parole board's ruling stated that Clark showed "ample evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and transformation" and that her release would be "compatible with the welfare of the overall community."

She was previously denied parole in 2017 when a board stated she was "still a symbol of a violent terroristic crime."

The New York police union criticized the parole board's decision and Cuomo's move to commute Clark's sentence.

"Welcome to the state of New York, where cop killers get to go free thanks to Gov. Cuomo's moronic and unethical parole board," Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said.