Nebraska: Commutation, then Parole

Leslie Reed of the Midlands News Service reports the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that Edward Poindexter, sentenced to life in prison for the 1971 slaying of a police officer, is not a proper candidate for parole. The high court's ruling said inmates who are serving life sentences for first-degree murder can only be considered for parole after they have had their original sentences commuted. The Nebraska Board of Pardons - composed of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state - has the power to grant such commutations. Why was Poindexter trying so hard to get a hearing before the State's Parole Board? Reed reports that the Board of Pardons "has not commuted a life sentence for first-degree murder in nearly two decades." See story here.

Nebraska: Request

In 1964, Jerry Erving and Larry Hall shot a bartender during a robbery which also included three bottles of whiskey. After a conviction for first-degree murder and a life sentence, the bar was torn down and Erving's wife divorced him. But Larry Hall, who had actually fired the weapon, was paroled more than 20 years ago. Erving's attorney says, "This case was one to me that I just couldn't rationalize professionally or any other way. How you could continue to hold this guy accountable?" Now Jerry Erving is about to make his third request for clemency (a commutation of sentence). In Nebraska, the clemency board consists of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general. See complete story here.