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Lauren Collins - Manchester, NH) A wall of solidarity outside the New Hampshire state prison where Cleo Roy appeared before the parole board Thursday - his first chance at freedom since he killed a Manchester police officer.

Retired Lieutenant Phil Alexakos, who was friends with the fallen officer said, "it's an insult to the memory of Ralph Miller and an insult to society."

It was October 1976. Roy was just 15 when he fired a single rifle shot into Miller's chest as the freshman officer responded to a loud party at Roy's house.

"We're very, very satisfied with what took place. Very confident that Cleo will be paroled in due time," said Roy's attorney Mark Sisti.

But not now, and not for several years.

The parole board explained that they weighed the nature of the crime against the inmate's behavior and, despite his efforts to improve himself, Cleo Roy has not done enough to pay back his debt to society.

Manchester Police Chief David Mara thinks "think that's probably the main reason why he shouldn't be getting out of here."

Roy once escaped from prison. He was indicted for the murder of another inmate. He was convicted for being in the Aryan Brotherhood and for carrying a weapon behind bars. But his lawyer and girlfriend argue Roy's been a role model for the better part of his sentence.

"The incredible thing bout Cleo Roy is that unlike so many other violent offenders he has turned himself around 180 degrees," said Sisti.

He's eligible for parole again in 2016.

"We have to make sure that we're back here," Chief Mara told the crowd of officer. "We have to make sure that we never forget Ralph."

Nor the memory of other fallen officers like Michael Briggs. The presence of his widow and mother in the crowd Thursday a sobering reminder that "everyday when these guys go out to work the potential is there for them to be injured or killed," said Alexakos.

Miller's family did not attend the hearing. Roy's relatives declined comment but his lawyer is confident another five years will be enough to satisfy his 50- to-life sentence.