The Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday reduced by five years the 60-year sentence of a Waterford man convicted of shooting and killing his wife in 1989.

Philip Traficonda, 63, who has spent the last 33 years in prison, appeared via video link with members of the board from a room at the Cheshire Correction Institute. He made his case for early release against the protests of the sister and father of murder victim Terry Traficonda.

“When I came to prison I was a 29-year-old father of a toddler...Now I am a 63-year-old father of a grown man. So much time lost,” Traficonda said.

Traficonda is one of several people imprisoned for crimes in eastern Connecticut expected to appear before the board this month in a series of commutation hearings on reduced sentences. At least two of the hearings this week involve men serving lengthy prison sentences for killings in eastern Connecticut.

James Davis III, 47, is due to appear before the board on Thursday to ask for a reduction in his 48-year prison sentence. Davis was convicted in 2004 of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and multiple counts of first-degree assault for a shooting spree in 1999 at the former Sportsman’s Athletic Club, a social club and bar in Norwich.

Davis shot four people, killing 25-year-old Joseph DuBose of New London, who was an innocent bystander.

Davis has been in prison since 2000 with a maximum release date of Sept. 1, 2046.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles is an autonomous state agency that has discretionary authority to grant early releases and “facilitate the successful reintegration of suitable offenders into the community and provide relief to those individuals who have demonstrated the necessary life changes to become productive members of society.”

Board of Pardons and Paroles Chairman Carleton Giles explained via video feed to the prisoners being interviewed on Wednesday that the board, in making a decision, will consider “the nature and seriousness of your crimes, it’s impact on any victims, the length of time that has elapsed since the commission of the crime and any and all efforts the applicant has made to become a productive and contributing member of his or her community.”

The board also considers a inmate’s behavior while in prison. The board pre-screens the inmates before meeting with them and considering their early release. Applicants and their attorneys, prosecutors and victims are all allowed to testify or submit letters.

It is unclear when Philip Traficonda, who has been in prison since June 5, 1989, will be released with the sentence reduction. The board, during public deliberations, mentioned that Traficonda was earning 12 days off his sentence every month, or 144 days a year, for good behavior. The Department of Correction lists his maximum release date as Sep. 1, 2032.

New London County State’s Attorney Paul Narducci, when contacted by The Day, said Wednesday that the early releases add a measure of uncertainty for the victims in criminal cases.

He said his concern surrounds what the families of victims are told will be the prison sentence versus the actual time served by those convicted and sentenced. In addition to the uncertainty, Narducci said victims are asked to relive the cases when they come up for hearings like the ones taking place this week.

Narducci declined to comment on any specific cases. His office submitted a letter asking the board to deny early release for Traficonda.

During his meeting with the board on Wednesday, Traficonda admitted to killing his wife but continued to argue it was an accident.

“First and foremost I am responsible for Terry’s death and altering the life of numerous people,” Traficonda said.

He continued by saying “and I know with every fiber of my being and deep within my heart it was not murder.”

Court records show his wife died of a gunshot wound to the neck in the early morning of June 3, 1989. Traficonda, who had called 911, told police he was demonstrating to his wife how his .30-30 caliber Winchester rifle worked when the gun accidentally discharged.

A woman who identified herself as the sister of Terry Traficonda but whose name was not immediately available, made an emotional plea to the board to keep Philip Traficonda locked up. She said her sister was the victim of “textbook domestic abuse,” and Traficonda had terrorized her sister for years leading up to the killing.

“Since (Philip Traficonda) continues to deny what he did, is he really rehabilitated? Does he belong out in public or more importantly around his son or family? Does that kind of person even deserve a break?” she asked.

Hearings are streamed on the Board of Pardons and Paroles website at https://portal.ct.gov/bopp

g.smith@theday.com