New sentence likely means freedom after 49 years in prison

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man who’s been in prison for nearly 50 years is getting a chance at freedom with a new sentence that makes him eligible for parole.

John Hall’s no-parole sentence was changed last Friday at the request of prosecutors and as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions about so-called juvenile lifers.

Hall was 17 in 1967 when he was accused of a fatal beating in a Detroit alley. He was convicted after a second trial, despite what his lawyers said was an alibi and a lack of physical evidence. With a new sentence ordered, the 67-year-old Hall soon will be eligible for parole.

His case was reopened after the Supreme Court said mandatory, no-parole sentences are illegal and can be imposed only after a thorough hearing.