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Parole board recommends clemency for convicted murderers Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A woman serving a life sentence for the 1975 murder of a West Memphis man and a man convicted of murder in Pulaski County were among state inmates recommended for executive clemency, the state Parole Board announced Wednesday. The board also recommended clemency for a man convicted of attempted murder in Lincoln County. In decisions June 7, the board voted unanimously to recommend clemency for Shirley Ann Danner, 54, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Crittenden County in August 1975. Danner, a former prostitute, was convicted in the shooting death of a West Memphis man whose body was found in his car. Prosecutors said the motive was robbery, but the defense at her trial claimed Danner shot the man during an argument. "I have done everything I possibly can to rehabilitate myself for 31 years," Danner wrote in her application for clemency. "I would like the opportunity to go home and assist my children in raising my grandchildren." The board also unanimously recommended clemency for Earnest Murphy, 56, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Pulaski County in October 1972 and sentenced to life in prison. Murphy was convicted in the drowning death of Little Rock contractor David Hardwick, 44, whose body was found in a water-filled bauxite pit south of the city. In his application, Murphy wrote that he and Hardwick were drinking beer before Hardwick died. Murphy wrote that he became scared and fled, but he did not rob Hardwick and did not know how Hardwick's wallet got on the dashboard of his truck. "I'm very sorry for what happened," he wrote. In another unanimous vote, the board recommended clemency for Terry Lynn Shells, 46, who was convicted of attempted capital murder in Lincoln County in 1983 and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Shells was convicted of stabbing a prison guard while he was incarcerated for other offenses. He wrote in his application that the guard had been sexually harassing him for three months before the stabbing. "This happened 24 years ago and, yes, I think that I could have managed the situation better now," Shells wrote. The board's recommendations will be sent to Gov. Mike Beebe after a 30-day public-notice period. |
