DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa Supreme Court justice issued a stay in the case of a woman who was on the verge of being released from prison decades after her conviction of murder for a 1987 stabbing when she was 17.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/1eZtoL5) Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins issued the stay Thursday following a request from the Iowa attorney general’s office.
The case involved Yvette Louisell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of 40-year-old Keith Stilwell, of Ames.
Story County District Court Judge James Ellefson resentenced Louisell to 25 years, which would have allowed her release Feb. 10.
The resentencing followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were illegal.
The Iowa attorney general’s office is appealing the judge’s ruling.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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