Woman serving life sentence for killing husband in 1984 to be released from prison
VANDALIA, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - The longest-serving female prisoner in Missouri will be freed.
Patty Prewitt is among the nine people who have had their sentences commuted by Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Friday.
He also pardoned 16 others.
Prewitt, a now 75-year-old grandmother, was serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of her husband in their farmhouse in Holden, Missouri.
Bill Prewitt was shot and killed in his sleep. Patty Prewitt said she was also attacked that night. Someone cut the phone lines and shut off the power to the house.
Investigators at that time quickly zeroed in on Patty Prewitt as the suspect and did not believe her account that someone was in the house.
The murder weapon was eventually found in a pond on the couple’s land.
Investigators believed a nearby boot print matched that of Patty Prewitt’s boot.
Patty Prewitt has long maintained her innocence. At one point, she was offered a plea deal, but she refused it.
The couple’s children said they believed their mother was innocent. They said they told investigators someone else was in the house that night, but the jury never heard that.
Patty Prewitt released the following statement this week regarding her release:
“I am so grateful to be home with my family for Christmas. Thank you to Governor Mike Parson and to all the people who have supported me over the years.”
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