The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a judge made an error when he sentenced a man to life in prison with the possibility of parole because state lawmakers had previously done away with parole. The ruling could result in possible release for nearly 300 inmates.
Abelardo Chaparro is supposed to be in prison for life because of a murder he committed in 1995. But the judge in his case sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole — for 25 years.
The court has now ruled that was legally wrong. This comes after Chaparro challenged the refusal of the Department of Corrections to consider him for parole.
The ruling could also affect other prisoners. In legal papers filed with the court, the Department of Corrections said about 290 inmates may have sentences similar to Chaparro. They can now use the precedent set in this case to seek their own parole eligibility.
