WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas prison inmate who was convicted of killing a Wichita man more than three decades ago has been granted parole.
The Wichita Eagle reports 57-year-old Ronnie Rhodes was notified earlier this week of the decision after being rejected for parole eight times in the past.
Department of Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay says Rhodes will be released to a state-approved structured living facility. He will remain at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility until plans are completed for that move.
Rhodes was convicted of first-degree murder in the Feb. 2, 1981, stabbing death of 48-year-old Cleother Burrell. Rhodes had insisted he was innocent.
Washburn law school students in 2010 found serious flaws in the investigation that led to his conviction but were unable to get him released.
