By Associated Press/Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Shirley Lute on Friday took the last step on a winding legal road as she was released from a state prison in northern Missouri more than 25 years after she was convicted of helping kill the man she said had been abusing her.
Lute, 76, was initially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 50 years. She was convicted of aiding her son in killing her husband, Melvin, whom she claims physically tortured and mentally tormented her.
In 2004, Gov. Bob Holden commuted her sentence to make her immediately eligible for parole, but the state Board of Probation and Parole refused to release her. Then, earlier this year, the state Supreme Court overturned the board and ordered her released.
Lute will remain on parole for the rest of her life and must follow certain restrictions. All parolees must abide by some general requirements, such as not using drugs, following the law and not possessing weapons. Some parolees also have special restrictions on top of that.
A spokesman for the Department of Corrections said he could not discuss Lute's parole conditions because they are confidential. Spokesman Brian Hauswirth said she is registered to live in a district that covers Boone County and will be supervised by a Columbia parole office.
Hauswirth said Lute was released to two family members at 10:45 a.m. to shouts of support and cries of "We love you, Ms. Lute!" from inmates at the Chillicothe Correctional Center.
The state high court also ordered the Parole and Probation Board to consider whether to release Lynda Branch, who was convicted of shooting her husband, Raymond, in 1986. Branch, 54, says she grabbed the gun after he threatened to shoot her and her daughter.
The board approved Branch's parole. But Hauswirth said there is a "technical problem" with Branch's parole that will likely be worked out in time for her to be released by next week.
(The earlier story:) Two Missouri women sentenced to life in prison for killing their abusive husbands will be released from prison Friday.
Shirley Lute and Lynda Branch were both convicted of murder at a time when spousal abuse was not considered a mitigating factor for determining guilt.
Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden commuted their sentences in 2004, but a parole board would not release them because of the severity of the crimes.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in April that the parole board had overstepped its authority and ordered the release of the two women.
Attorney Jane Aiken represents Shirley Lute.
"In this particular case, the reason it was very different from the last time was because the Supreme Court constrained the parole board and said you can't even look at the offense, you can only identify her conditions," Aiken said.
At 77, Lute is the oldest female inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections.