By JOURNALISM II
—
A parole hearing is planned this week for the Albany man convicted in the fatal hit and run of a Saint Rose student in 2011.
Alfred Zwack Jr., 21, was sentenced to manslaughter and leaving the scene of an Albany accident two years ago after he was found guilty of running down 29-year-old Etemowei Oki. Zwack is being held at the Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Franklin County. He was sentenced to 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison. A parole decision is expected Friday, according to Patrick Bailey, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections.
A letter in support of Zwack’s parole was submitted by his attorney, Joseph McCoy of Rensselaer. McCoy told The Chronicle that he has not spoken with Zwack since a few months after he was sentenced. McCoy also represents Zwack’s father, Alfred Zwack Sr., who was expected to be released from Saratoga County Jail on Monday. The senior Zwack has been in and out of jail since November of 1988, according to state records.
The Saint Rose student who was killed, Etemowei James Oki was a Communications major at the college and before that served in the U.S. Navy. during the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars. Oki, a Shaker High School graduate, was killed near the intersection of Elk and Quail streets on Nov. 26, 2011 at 1:42 a.m. He is buried Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
Efforts to reach the younger Zwack at Bare Hill and the families of Zwack and Oki were unsuccessful. Zwack apparently has access to social media, according to a recently active Facebook account with his name on it. The account was last updated in late August.
Researched, reported, and written by: Paige DeSorbo, Alexander Horton, Vanessa Langdon and Jessica LePore
