Clemency & Consequences

Two families went before the post prison transfer board today, with great hope in their hearts. They`re trying to keep the men who killed their loved ones behind bars. Stanley Wells was beaten to death with a lead pipe back in 1974. Today Jerry Wells told the board that Denver Witham bludgeoned his brother so severely he was unrecognizable. The Wells murder was the second time Witham was convicted of killing. For that, several other crime convictions and lies on his clemency application, the Wells family believes Witham should stay where he is. While it`s been 30 years since crime rocked the Wells family, it`s only been about 4 for the Smiths. Arkansas State University professor Barry Smith was shot to death on his porch by a then 14 year old Kirk Otis. Otis was only convicted in May of this year. Several jurors came to testify before the transfer board, revealing that they compromised on a manslaughter conviction to appease one juror who wanted to acquit. They say 11 of 12 wanted to convict for capital murder. The manslaughter conviction means the longest Otis can serve would be ten years, making him eligible for parole now. The Smiths say there`s no way that time served in a juvenile facility plus two months, can equate to real punishment.