Durand, who died in 2013, wrote a letter to the judge suggesting parole for Cobbins, whom Abston picked up after he stole Durand’s wallet and forced him into the trunk of his own car. The attorney noted that he felt the older boy had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But when Abston filed for post-conviction relief two years later, Durand provided a victim impact statement noting the teen’s long juvenile history that began with assault charges when he was 11, and said he thought Abston likely would have ended up killing him if that officer hadn’t shown up.
Why are the authorities under fire after the murder of Eliza Fletcher?
Responding to criticism from some public officials, including the state’s lieutenant governor, that Fletcher would still be alive if Abston had been in prison serving his full sentence, Mulroy, the district attorney, responded that the suspect had served 85 percent of a conviction. 24 years sentence. And, he noted during the Sept. 6 news conference, his office had opposed parole.
“Violent repeat offenders deserve a forceful response,” Mulroy said, “and that’s what they’re going to get from the district attorney’s office.”