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 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.