Parole Eligibility Set For Convict In Wis. Teen Slaying
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (AP) -- The man convicted of fatally stabbing an Eau Claire teenager and dumping his body by the Chippewa River will be eligible for parole in 20 years.
Shane Hawkins was sentenced in Chippewa County Circuit Court Thursday. Judge Roderick Cameron imposed the mandatory life in prison and then set parole eligibility.
The 31-year-old Hawkins was convicted in January of killing 17-year-old Jason Grau. The teen was asleep at Hawkins' house in February 2010 when he was stabbed in the neck and back.
Many in the crowded courtroom wore T-shirts in remembrance of Grau. His mother, Jennifer Grau, told the judge that her son's murder was a "senseless act by a person with no soul."
The Chippewa Herald says when Hawkins was given a chance to speak, he rambled a long prayer.
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