WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — A local couple whose son was shot and killed outside a gas station in 1997 is fighting to keep their 1-year-old’s killer behind bars.
“You just wonder what life would be like, because he was such a joy,” Mary Beth Hacke said of her murdered son, Ryan Hacke. “He was smiling all the time.”
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After doing so in 2014, Ryan's parents are again requesting that their son's convicted killer stay in prison.
At 14 months old in January 1997, Ryan was struck by a bullet in the eye and died days later. His parents were switching cars near a Homestead gas station when Vaughn Mathis unloaded a semi-automatic pistol.
A jury convicted Mathis of involuntary manslaughter in Ryan’s death, well below a charge of first-degree homicide, which prosecutors were seeking.
“We will go in front of the parole board, and put our hearts on the table and say Ryan Hacke's life mattered,” Mary Beth Hacke said.
This month, Mathis is again eligible for parole. He served a minimum sentence not only doing time for Ryan’s killing, but also for raping a woman.
The Hackes want him in jail for the full sentence of 43 years.
“I grieve every day of my life for my precious Ryan. I'll always wonder what life would have been like with Ryan here,” Mary Beth Hacke said.
A hearing for Mathis is set for March 17. The Hackes continue to work as hard as they can to have parole denied and keep him locked up.
So far, the family has gathered 1,200 signatures in favor of having Mathis' parole denied. CLICK HERE to view the petition the Hackes are circulating online.