20 years of heartache: Alan Senitt’s family on killer’s failed release bid

The family of murdered Jewish community leader Alan Senitt has spoken of their continuing anguish after a US court rejected a bid by his killer to secure early prison release.

Jeffrey Rice, who murdered the 27-year-old Londoner in Washington DC in July 2006, challenged a decision that reduced his original 52-year prison sentence to 37 years.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has now upheld that ruling, bringing to an end more than three years of legal battles for Alan’s family.

Alan’s mum Karen Senitt told Jewish News: “For more than three years we have had to revisit the worst thing that has ever happened to our family. Every application, appeal, court date and period of waiting brings Alan’s murder and the trauma surrounding it back to the forefront of our lives.”

Alan, a former chairman of the Union of Jewish Students and leading advocate for interfaith relations, was attacked while protecting a female friend in the district of Georgetown.

The court recorded that Rice forced Alan to the ground while accomplice Kristopher Piper attacked his friend. When Alan turned towards her after she cried out, Rice stabbed him multiple times.

Rice had earlier told accomplices he was “going to stab or cut somebody”, according to the judgment.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed, four robberies and firearms offences and was sentenced in 2007 to 52 years. Piper received 37 years. Rice later sought a sentence reduction and immediate release under Washington DC’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.

The lower court found he no longer presented a danger to the public and had demonstrated rehabilitation, reducing his sentence by 15 years. But Judge Neal Kravitz refused to order his immediate release.

Rice appealed that refusal. On 13 August, the three-judge Court of Appeals affirmed the decision, meaning he is expected to remain imprisoned until 2038.

Twenty years after his murder, more than 2,000 young people have graduated from the Alan Senitt Upstanders Leadership Programme, established in his memory

Karen said: “Nothing can take away our heartache or the mental anguish this process has caused us, but we feel we have gained some justice for Alan. If another application is made, I will continue to fight for him as long as I live.”

Alan’s siblings Emma and James said: “For us, it has always been about Alan. He doesn’t get the opportunity to ask for his life back. He doesn’t get another chance at the future that was taken from him at just 27 years old. Our lives were completely shattered, our hearts smashed to pieces and all our future plans wiped out.

“We have often said that our dad died (Jack Senitt passed away in 2011) of a broken heart. Of course, nobody can ever truly know that, but as his children we saw the enormous toll that losing Alan took on him. He was never the same after Alan died. He was our big brother.”

“He was funny, passionate, determined and sometimes incredibly annoying, as big brothers are supposed to be. He was also someone who cared enormously about his community and believed that young people could make a genuine difference. We will always fight for justice for Alan, however many times we are asked to do so.”

Twenty years after his murder, more than 2,000 young people have graduated from the Alan Senitt Upstanders Leadership Programme, established in his memory.

Emma and James added: “Twenty years later, Alan is still making a difference. His name is still being spoken, his values are still being passed on and his legacy continues through every young person who takes part in the programme.”