How can they even consider Parole?
I mean Hello!!!!! Wake up ppl!
Excellent question. Here is how it came about that Coffey has come to be up for Parole:
Fred Coffey was arrested in 1986 in Charlotte, NC. Prosecutors wanted to charge him with the 1979 murder of little Amanda Ray (age 10). They also had evidence that he had molested three children earlier in 1986.
It was decided for some reason to hold two separate trials, the first being for the multiple molestations. Coffey was seen by different Psychiatrists prior to the trial and he attempted to get lenient treatment by claiming to have a "problem". He admitted to the court appointed psychiatrist that he had molested "over 100" children over the years.
In his first trial, Coffey was found guilty of three separate charges in regard to molestation of each of the three children - a total of nine counts. He was sentenced to a specific number of years for each of those nine charges.
With the first trial over, Coffey remained in jail prior to, and throughout the next trial. He was charged with the murder of Amanda Ray, and convicted in 1987. He was sentenced to Death.
On appeal, Coffey was granted a second trial in the murder of Amanda Ray, and again he was found guilty. Again he was sentenced to Death.
Coffey and his lawyers appealed again and this time, they claimed that because the prosecution had introduced all the evidence regarding his molestation convictions and his admissions to having molested others, that this "prejudiced" the jurors against him.
The Defense claimed that the molestations had taken place AFTER Amanda's murder. Using their convoluted logic, Coffey MIGHT have only become a molester in 1986, and that his molesting of children in 1986 would not necessarily indicate that he would KILL someone in 1979. Therefor, they asked for a retrial, this time NOT allowing the jurors to hear of any convictions or evidence regarding child molestation.
A Third trial was held for Coffey with a new jury. Once again, he was found guilty of killing Amanda. But in the sentencing phase, previous convictions for - and admissions of child molestation were left out.
Ten out of the twelve jurors voted for the Death sentence, but two jurors held out, believing that the murder of Amanda was a "one time" step over the line for Coffey. The sentence became "Life in Prison" in 1995, and because he had been in Prison for 19 years at that time, he became automatically elligible for Parole - by North Carolina law.
And since then, Coffey has periodically come up for parole - at first, every year, but since 2009 it has been every three years.
Coffey has been a model prisoner with no offenses committed since his 1986 arrest. Law enforcement and prosecutors in Charlotte have attempted to charge him with the 1981 murder of five-year-old Neely Smith, but no trial has ever taken place. Prosecutors in Bristol, Virginia have attempted to charge Coffey with the murder of eight-year-old Travis Shane King, but again no trial has been held.
