Changes in federal and state laws have made a Minnesota man convicted of murder eligible for parole

 Feb. 25, 2024.

A Minneapolis man convicted for his role in the murder of a woman and her 10-year-old child in 2008 has become eligible for parole after changes to federal and state laws and a recent resentencing.

According to Fox News, 32-year-old Brian Flowers was 16 years old when he helped Stephon Edward Thompson murder Katricia Daniels and her 10-year-old son Robert Shepard. Flowers was given two concurrent life sentences with possibility of parole, but between 2012 and 2016, federal law was changed to give those convicted under the age of 18 to be given life sentences with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

After the initial changes, Flowers would have been eligible for parole in 2038, according to CBS News. A recent change in state law has lowered that number to just 15 years, making Flowers eligible now.

The new law says that juveniles convicted of two consecutive life sentences are eligible for parole after 20 years, and those convicted of one or more concurrent life sentences are eligible after 15 years, according to CBS News.

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