Former death row inmate Gaile Owens is a step closer to being a free woman. One member of the state parole board voted in favor of Owens’ release on Wednesday. Other members of the board are expected to vote in the next few weeks. Owens will be released from prison if three more members of the board vote in her favor.
The 58-year old Owens was sentenced to death in 1986 for hiring a man to kill her husband. Former Governor Phil Bredesen commuted her sentence after attorneys and advocates claimed Owens suffered from battered woman’s syndrome.
Owens’ son spoke in favor of his mother’s release at the hearing. He said he wants his mother to come home to her family.
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