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| Md. governor commutes three life sentences |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/29/2004 |
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Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Friday commuted the sentences of three inmates, including that of a woman who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder she committed when she was 15 years old. Mary Washington Brown, 46, was convicted of stabbing Charlotte Ida Lessem to death in 1974 as Brown and a co-defendant robbed her at a Baltimore bus station. The governor's office said Brown has been an exemplary inmate who earned her high school equivalency and an associate's degree in prison. She needs just 15 more credits for a bachelor's degree in human resources from Morgan State University. Ehrlich, a Republican, said in a statement that while Lessem's death was senseless, it "will be remembered for the hope it restored in the life-changing power each individual possesses regardless of his or her circumstances in life." The governor's office said the victim's family, the parole commission and the Baltimore state's attorney were consulted on Brown's commutation. She must complete 12 months of work release before being eligible for parole. Ehrlich also commuted the sentence of a man who has served 36 years of a life sentence for murder, although several co-defendants received lesser sentences. It was later proven the man didn't actually strike the victim. The other commutation was for a man who received a 25-year sentence for breaking into a home because it was his third conviction for a violent crime. Two years later, burglary was changed to a nonviolent offense in the state, but the change was not retroactive. |
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