Court won't hear appeal, clearing path for parole

CASEVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- The Michigan Supreme Court won't stand in the way of parole for a man convicted of killing an 18-year-old in the Thumb in 1992. The court last week turned down an appeal from the Huron County prosecutor's office. Phil Paquette has spent about 20 years in prison for the stabbing of Michael Gravelle at a cottage in Caseville Township, 50 miles northeast of Bay City. Paquette's path to parole has been bumpy. The parole board ordered his release in 2010, but a Huron County judge blocked it, saying the 53-year-old Paquette was a threat to the public. The state appeals court declined to take an appeal, but the Supreme Court last summer told the lower court to consider the case. It did and said Paquette's parole decision was properly made. Published: Mon, Apr 2, 2012