Woman gets shorter sentence, chance at parole in '92 death

PONTIAC (AP) — A woman who was 16 when she was involved in the fatal stabbing of an elderly man in Oakland County will get a chance at parole.

Jennifer Pruitt’s no-parole sentence was changed last week to a minimum of 30 years in prison.The Detroit News says she’ll be eligible for parole in five years.

Judge Martha Anderson says the 41-year-old Pruitt “has become a better person” in prison. Her case was revisited because the U.S. Supreme Court said teens convicted of murder can’t be automatically sentenced to life without parole.

Pruitt didn’t stab the victim, 75-year-old Elmer Heichel, at his Pontiac home in 1992. But police said she used her friendship to get inside the home for a robbery.