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Thursday, February 5, 2026 ~ Volume 138 ~ Issue Number 12 ~ $1.00
Crime Victim’s Family Rallies to Pass ‘Sarah’s Law’ By Matt Meduri Crime victims and Senate and Assembly Republicans are rallying to pass “Sarah’s Law” this session of the State Legislature. The bill, named for Sarah Goode, would close a loophole that expunges the criminal records of defendants who die while their conviction is on appeal. That loophole is called abatement ab initio. Goode, of Medford, was raped and murdered by Dante Taylor, of Mastic, when she was just 21 years old. She vanished after a party at which the two had met in June 2014. She was stabbed forty-two times by Taylor, who had dumped her body in the woods. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. While appealing his case, he committed suicide. Abatement ab initio, under New York State Law, required the dismissal of his conviction, leaving no defendant legally convicted of Goode’s horrific assault and murder. Continued on page 4
Sarah Goode’s family rallies in Hauppauge to close a criminal justice loophole (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Blood Drive to Honor Fallen Commack Officer By Matt Meduri The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) is hosting a blood drive at the Commack Fire Department Headquarters on Saturday to honor Officer Glen Ciano, who was killed in 2009 when his patrol car was struck by an intoxicated driver. Ciano was responding to assist a fellow officer who had stopped a vehicle with stolen license plates. His car was struck by the vehicle, driven by the intoxicated motorist, who was making a left turn onto Commack Road from the Vanderbilt Parkway. The crash sent Ciano’s patrol car off the road and into a utility pole. The ensuing fire killed Officer Ciano. The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, was sentenced to oneto-four years in prison in 2011. Ciano had served with the SCPD for twenty-two years and is survived by his wife and two children. Continued on page 10
Officer Glen Ciano
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The Mattera Report Page 15