(AP) – An Arkansas inmate who was sentenced to life in prison
without parole for a crime he committed as a juvenile could soon be released
from custody.
Circuit Court Judge John Putman on Friday resentenced 37-year-old Benjamin
Scott MacFarland to 40 years in prison. MacFarland was convicted of capital
murder and kidnapping for the 1996 killing of 15-year-old John Melbourne Jr. in
Harrison.
Attorneys say MacFarland was 17 years old at the time of the crime. His case
is one of about 60 in Arkansas that are being revisited after the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that mandatory life-without-parole sentences are unconstitutional.
The Harrison Daily Times reports that MacFarland will be eligible for parole
because he's already served 70 percent of his sentence, but he may not receive
parole immediately.
without parole for a crime he committed as a juvenile could soon be released
from custody.
Circuit Court Judge John Putman on Friday resentenced 37-year-old Benjamin
Scott MacFarland to 40 years in prison. MacFarland was convicted of capital
murder and kidnapping for the 1996 killing of 15-year-old John Melbourne Jr. in
Harrison.
Attorneys say MacFarland was 17 years old at the time of the crime. His case
is one of about 60 in Arkansas that are being revisited after the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that mandatory life-without-parole sentences are unconstitutional.
The Harrison Daily Times reports that MacFarland will be eligible for parole
because he's already served 70 percent of his sentence, but he may not receive
parole immediately.
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