One of the saddest things that can be said about the horrific murder of 14-year-old Lauren Deis is that it could have been prevented if state officials had heeded a warning by a respected Allegheny County prosecutor.

Deputy District Attorney Janet R. Necessary, an expert who has specialized in sexual assault cases for 30 years, sent a strongly worded letter to both the state Department of Corrections and the Board of Probation and Parole on July 2, 2008. Tushon Brown, the convicted sex offender who now is charged with killing the East Liberty teenager, was being considered for parole at the time, after serving the minimum of his 7 1/2-to-15-year sentence.

The parole board seeks input from prosecutors and others before making decisions on release, but writing such a letter is a rarity rather than the norm for Ms. Necessary. In her letter, she recounted in detail two sexual assault cases he committed and said "Tushon Brown's actions in the premeditated scheme to rape the young student demonstrate his dangerousness. He is a predator in every sense of the word." Further, she said, "I believe that Tushon Brown is extremely dangerous and will commit other sex crimes if released on parole."

Eleven months after his release, Lauren was dead and he was under arrest in North Carolina, where he was picked up on a parole violation.

Parole board records indicated that he participated in prison rehabilitation and drug and alcohol treatment programs, took responsibility for his crimes, exhibited good behavior and underwent a battery of tests that suggested he was at a low risk to re- offend.

While it is true that state officials must consider more than a prosecutor's recommendation in such cases, the board's spokeswoman also said few district attorneys respond to the requests for input. That's why the parole board should have given greater weight to such an unequivocal statement from a knowledgeable source.

It's too late for Lauren Deis, but her tragedy is something parole officials should bear in mind in future cases.

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