A convicted Michigan murderer, 50-year-old Malcolm B. Benson, was set free early on parole for “good behavior” after serving 19 years of his 40-year murder sentence. However, the murderer wouldn’t remain in the public for long. Just months after his release, Benson was arrested again, charged with murdering a 59-year-old Army veteran at a bus stop during a robbery.
CBS Detroit reports that Malcolm B. Benson was arrested in 1995 on charges of second-degree murder and felony firearms charges. He took a plea deal and agreed to plead no contest in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges to second-degree murder from first-degree murder. Benson was then sentenced to 40 years for the murder charge along with two years for the firearms felony. Benson would complete his two years for the firearms charges but serve just 19 years of his 40-year murder sentence before being brought before a parole board for early release. The inmate was presented to the parole board early due to “good behavior” in prison and was released on Jan. 13, 2015. However, the release was short-lived as Benson would be arrested before the year’s end for murder.
Michigan murderer who was released early for good behavior jailed again for killing months later https://t.co/A2dpZSooxh
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Holly Kramer, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, explains that the reason Benson was released early is due to the fact that Truth In Sentencing laws were not passed until 1998 and Kramer was sentenced in 1995. Kramer notes that Benson was technically sentenced to “20 to 40 years” for the second-degree murder charges which meant that under current laws, the convicted murderer would have not been eligible for parole until 2017 after serving the minimum sentencing length, in this case, 20 years. However, under the old laws, Benson could earn “good behavior” credits during his prison stint that would allow early parole board hearings.
“What you noticed, is because Truth in Sentencing (guidelines) didn’t come into play until 1998, and his offense occurred in 1995, when we still allowed disciplinary credits. Disciplinary credits allowed for parole eligibility to be accelerated for an indeterminate sentence, like his 20 to 40 years, if a prisoner had good behavior. Under that system it was five days for every month served, plus the potential for two additional days for exceptionally good behavior.”
With Benson having no incidents in prison , he was recommended for parole early due to the “good behavior” credits and ultimately was released early. However, the murderer wouldn’t remain in the public for long. In September of 2015, just nine months after being released from prison early, the felon would murder a 59-year-old Army veteran, Stanley Carter, at a bus stop. The murder allegedly took place as Benson attempted to rob the man at gunpoint before shooting him.
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Police arrested Benson without incident and immediately returned him to prison. This week, the first-degree murder case was heard in court and Benson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Stanley Carter. This time, Benson will not have any chance of parole and will remain behind bars until he dies.
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This isn’t the first time a convicted murderer had been released only to murder again. NBC Philadelphia previously reported that convicted murderer Steven Pratt was released in October of 2014 after serving a 30-year sentence for murder. Pratt was sentenced as an adult at the age of 15 after he shot and killed his next door neighbor in 1984. After serving his full 30-year sentence, Pratt was released and his family held a “welcome home” party for their son. However, just two days after the celebration and release, Pratt would murder his own mother, beating her to death during an argument.
[Image via Michigan Department of Corrections/ Mugshot]
