On a Tuesday afternoon in the quiet Long Island village of Floral Park, New York, the life of 78-year-old Margaret Kierer was brutally cut short. On September 27, 1994, Ms. Kierer, a female resident of the community, was attacked, stabbed, and robbed near a local train station. Her death was not a random act of violence but the tragic result of a convicted killer being released back into society far too soon.
Her murder became a flashpoint in a multi-state debate about justice, mercy, and the catastrophic failures of the criminal justice system.
The man responsible for her death was Reginald McFadden. His story began decades earlier when, as a 16-year-old in 1969, he was involved in the robbery and murder of an elderly woman in Philadelphia. For that crime, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Over the next 24 years, McFadden presented himself as a reformed man, earning degrees and even assisting corrections officers during a prison riot. His efforts culminated in a 1992 recommendation for commutation from the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, which was granted by Governor Robert P. Casey.
On July 7, 1994, McFadden, then 41 years old, walked out of prison. He had not lived outside of an institution since he was a teenager. Just 92 days later, he was back in custody, but not before embarking on a violent crime spree across two New York counties. His rage and brutality shattered multiple lives, leaving a trail of terror that began in Rockland County and ended in Nassau County with the murder of Margaret Kierer. Before killing Ms. Kierer, McFadden had kidnapped, beaten, and raped a 55-year-old woman in South Nyack on September 21, forcing her to withdraw money from several ATMs.
The investigation into this series of horrific crimes quickly led to McFadden. The ATM security footage from the South Nyack attack provided clear images of the assailant. When he was arrested on October 6, 1994, he was also linked to the September 6 disappearance of 42-year-old Robert Silk in Elmont. McFadden had been driving Silk's car. The skeletal remains of Mr. Silk would be discovered in a creek the following March. The credit cards stolen from Margaret Kierer were also used by McFadden in the days following her murder, further cementing his connection to the crime.
Facing a mountain of evidence, Reginald McFadden’s path through the New York court system was swift. After being convicted for the brutal rape in Rockland County and sentenced to what amounted to 70 years in prison, he was transferred to Nassau County to face charges for Margaret Kierer's death. On September 27, 1995, exactly one year after he killed her, McFadden pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He claimed he had attacked her in a fit of rage after getting lost on his way to the train station. He was sentenced to another life term. When asked if he had any final words for the court, he replied, "Sentence me to a thousand years. It won't make any difference." He would later be convicted of Robert Silk's murder as well, receiving yet another life sentence.
The release of Reginald McFadden became a major political scandal, derailing the gubernatorial campaign of then-Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel, who had chaired the parole board. The case led to significant reforms in Pennsylvania's parole and clemency system to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. For the families of Margaret Kierer and Robert Silk, and for the survivor of his vicious sexual assault, these changes came too late. Reginald McFadden died in prison in March 2023, leaving behind a legacy of violence and a painful reminder of the human cost of a flawed system.
