Man initially given life without parole in 2 murders freed

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison without parole in a 1979 double murder is being released after 42 years behind bars — after his sentence was commuted. The Louisiana Board of Pardons and Parole voted 2-1 on Monday to free inmate David Chenevert. The board commuted the inmate’s sentence in the aftermath of a hearing in December in which Chenevert was cited for good conduct, participation in rehabilitation programs and a low risk-assessment score. Chenevert, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had pleaded guilty in 1981 to stabbing Michael Brown and Evelyn McIntyre. The victims’ relatives spoke out almost unanimously against releasing him.