74-year-old Michigan man convicted of murder and imprisoned at 17 to be released, report says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sheldry Topp, a 74-year-old convicted murderer who has been imprisoned since he was 17 years old, will be released from prison. (Michigan Department of Corrections via Associated Press)
A Michigan man who has been imprisoned since 1962 for a fatal stabbing will be released from prison, a judge reportedly said Tuesday.
Sheldry Topp, 74, is the oldest prisoner in Michigan, serving a life sentence after he was convicted of fatally stabbing a man during a robbery when he was 17 years old.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Tuesday, Topp was reportedly sentenced to a minimum of 40 years. The new sentence, according to attorney Deborah LaBelle, means that Topp should immediately be eligible for freedom.
Life sentences with no chance for parole are no longer automatic for anyone under 18. Juvenile lifers have a right to new hearings as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Judges now have discretion and can consider an offender's childhood, education and a variety of other factors.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No-parole sentences, which are still possible, is what prosecutor Jessica Cooper wanted for Topp. But Oakland County Judge James Alexander said Topp had been rehabilitated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.