Man Convicted in ’81 Brink’s Robbery Wins Release From New York Prison

A memorial at the shooting site, Mountainview Avenue near the entrance to the New York State Thruway, is held every year at 4 p.m., close to the time of the attack. The ceremony this year, last Wednesday, drew a crowd of more than 500.

Mr. Gilbert, who was in a getaway vehicle when he was taken into custody, was convicted of robbery and felony murder for his role in the attack. He was unapologetic at his sentencing in 1983.

“The rulers, the rich and their armed mercenaries are the only lives valued by this court,” he said at the time, reading from a prepared statement. “We say that if they sentence us to 1,000 years or shoot us at dawn tomorrow, it will not save this social system.”

When he was caught, he was with Kathy Boudin, a fellow left-wing radical with whom he had a young son. Ms. Boudin, who was released from prison in 2003 after serving 22 years as part of a plea deal, went on to become a professor at Columbia University.

The couple’s son, Chesa Boudin, was elected the district attorney of San Francisco in 2019, and led a campaign urging his father’s release from prison. Mr. Boudin’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement issued after Mr. Cuomo commuted Mr. Gilbert’s sentence, Mr. Boudin said he was “overcome with emotion.”

“Although he never used a gun or intended for anyone to get hurt, my father’s crime caused unspeakable harm and devastated the lives of many separate families,” Mr. Boudin said in the statement. “I will continue to keep those families in my heart; I know they can never get their loved ones back.”

In announcing the decision to grant Mr. Gilbert clemency, Mr. Cuomo cited his work in AIDS education and prevention while he was incarcerated, as well as his work as a teacher and law library clerk.