Naman Shrestha
Having spent several decades behind bars without any conflict, three convicts navigate the crimes that put them there as they hope to earn parole and get a taste of freedom. Apart from focusing on the convicts, HBO’s ‘Nature of the Crime’ also explores a couple of murders, including that of Edward Byrne, a 22-year-old rookie New York City Police Officer who was killed in 1988 while on duty. The episode also consists of insightful interviews with the perpetrators and lawyers, talking in length about the crimes, rehabilitation, and the possibility of their release.
Edward Byrne Was Ambushed While Guarding the House of a Witness
On February 21, 1966, New York City Police Officer Matthew L. Byrne and his wife, Ann Byrne, gave birth to a little bundle of joy in the form of Edward Richard Byrne in New York City, New York. As he grew up alongside his brothers — Lawrence, Stephen, and Kenneth — Edward followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the NYPD after serving for the New York City Transit Police. Residing in Massapequa, Long Island, the 22-year-old rookie New York City Police Officer was stationed in the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens. Edward’s bright future in the NYPD was cut short in the early morning hours of February 26, 1988, just seven months after he became a part of the police force.
At the time, he was given the responsibility of protecting a witness in a drug case, which is what he was doing on 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in Jamaica, Queens, on the fateful night. While he was sitting in his patrol car eyeing the house of the witness, the police officer was ambushed and shot five times inside his vehicle with a .38 caliber pistol. Upon the arrival of the authorities, Edward was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but was declared dead later, with the cause of his death being the fatal gunshot wounds to the head. Without wasting any time, a thorough homicide investigation was launched as the detectives taped the crime scene and gathered all the evidence they could.
A Drug Kingpin Ordered Four of His Men to Murder Edward Byrne on Duty
As the investigators delved deeper into the murder case of Edward Byrne, they learned that he was protecting the house of a witness who was about to testify against Howard “Pappy” Mason, a drug kingpin. The detectives connected the dots, and within a week of the brutal killing of the rookie police officer, they managed to capture four suspects — Philip Copeland, Todd Scott, Scott Cobb, and David McClary — involved in the crime. The authorities soon learned that on February 26, 1988, the four suspects pulled up right beside the victim’s car, and a couple of men exited the car.
While one of them knocked on the passenger side window of Edward’s patrol car, the other man fired multiple shots at him at point-blank range from the driver’s side. According to reports, it was Scott Cobb who drove the gunmen to the spot where Edward was parked on the fateful night, while Todd Scott was the one who distracted the officer by tapping on the passenger window to give the other co-conspirator a window of opportunity to land the fatal gunshots. Later, during his confession, Scott admitted that they were ordered to get rid of Edward by the leader of their gang, Howard “Pappy” Mason, for $8,000.
All four men involved in the brutal murder of the 22-year-old officer were convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. As far as the gang leader was concerned, Howard “Pappy” Mason was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for not just ordering the hit on Edward Byrne but also for drug racketeering. In order to keep the family’s legacy alive, Edward’s brother, Larry, also joined the NYPD as its deputy chief of legal matters. One of his first courses of action was to push the petition to keep his brother’s killers incarcerated. In the early 2020s, the four co-conspirators had parole hearings as they hoped to taste a hint of freedom yet again.
Read More: Todd Scott: Where is Officer Edward Byrne’s Killer Now?
