New Sentence Likely Means Freedom After 49 Years in Prison
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man who's been in prison for nearly 50 years is getting a chance at freedom with a new sentence that makes him eligible for parole.
John Hall's no-parole sentence was changed Friday at the request of prosecutors and as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions about so-called juvenile lifers.
Hall was 17 in 1967 when he was accused of a fatal beating in a Detroit alley. He was convicted after a second trial, despite what his lawyers said was an alibi and a lack of physical evidence.
With a new sentence ordered Friday, the 67-year-old Hall soon will be eligible for parole.
His case was reopened after the Supreme Court said mandatory, no-parole sentences are illegal and can be imposed only after a thorough hearing.
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