WRIGHTSVILLE, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas inmate who had served more than 30 years in prison for fatally shooting her abusive husband was released from custody Friday after her life sentence was commuted.
Willie Mae Harris, 72, was greeted by family and friends upon her release Friday from a women’s prison in Wrightsville, Little Rock TV station KTHV reported.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson commuted Harris’ sentence last month, noting that Harris had been physically abused by her husband, Clyde Harris.
She was convicted of first-degree murder in 1985.
In her most recent application for clemency, Harris said she did not receive a fair trial because none of the evidence of the abuse she suffered was presented. She included an affidavit from her aunt, who said Clyde Harris once broke his wife’s hand with a universal joint from a car.
