In this Nov. 4, 2020, file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during a news conference in Harrisburg, Pa.
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
Wolf commutes life sentences for 13 jailed on murder charges
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The Associated Press
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
In this Nov. 4, 2020, file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during a news conference in Harrisburg, Pa.
(Harrisburg) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Friday he has commuted the life sentences of 13 Pennsylvania inmates, clearing the way for their release to halfway houses.
Wolf said they had all been unanimously recommended by the Board of Pardons. All 13 had been convicted of first- or second-degree murder.
Nine are from Philadelphia, three are from Allegheny County and one is from Lancaster. They range in ages from 51 to 83. Two are women whose murders occurred in Philadelphia.
Wolf said two of the inmates are brothers who in 1981 carjacked a man who later died of a heart attack. Another set of brothers has maintained they are innocent of a fatal robbery and shooting in 1993 and who turned down plea deals for no more than 10 years in prison.
Wolf says he believes the inmates deserve a second chance.
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