Release of Ind. Cop Killer Outrages Community

A man once given the death penalty for fatally shooting an Indiana town marshal in the back left prison Sunday nearly 30 years after the crime. William Spranger was convicted of killing William Miner and had been given the death penalty.

A man once given the death penalty for fatally shooting an Indiana town marshal in the back left prison Sunday nearly 30 years after the crime.

William Miner, a town marshal with the Avilla Police Department, is still remembered as a good man in this northeastern Indiana town of 2,500 residents. A street bears his name, and a stone memorial honors his legacy.

Miner's killer, William Spranger, was convicted of killing Miner and had been given the death penalty. The Indiana Supreme Court later overturned the death sentence partly based on inadequate counsel given to Spranger.

In 1997, Spranger was given a new sentence of 60 years in prison – a sentence that could be cut in half by exhibiting good behavior and taking advantage of education opportunities, reports the Journal Gazette.

Spranger is 47.

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