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The couple was arrested on child abuse charges. New York law states that if one parent beats a child and the other stays silent about it, each is equally guilty. However, Hedda was later found to have been abused by Joel Steinberg throughout their relationship. She suffered from nine broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a broken nose. Hedda was not prosecuted due to the belief that years of abuse rendered her incompetent at the time of the murder. Instead, she was sent to a psychiatric hospital. Joel was charged with first degree manslaughter. On two occasions, Steinberg was denied discretionary parole, mainly because he never expressed remorse for the killing. However, on June 30, 2004, he was paroled under the state's "good time" law, which mandates release of inmates who exhibit good behavior while incarcerated after having served as little as two-thirds of the maximum possible sentence. After his release, Steinberg moved to Harlem, New York, where he now works in construction.
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