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2 Sentenced To Life In Prison As Juveniles Get 1st Parole Hearings

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man sentenced to life without parole as a teenager has family and friends supporting his plea for freedom.

The prisoner, 38-year-old Joseph Donovan, is the first of 63 inmates to stand before a parole board after Massachusetts' highest court struck down mandatory life sentences for juveniles in December. The ruling followed a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2012 that outlawed such sentences.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports

2 Sentenced To Life In Prison As Juveniles Get 1st Parole Hearings

Donovan he was impulsive and stupid when he was younger but has grown up and taken responsibility. His family says he has done his time and deserves a second chance.

Donovan was convicted of felony murder for his participation in the 1992 robbery of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who died of stab wounds. He was not the killer.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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