Three of the Elkhart Four won’t be released from prison until 2017 or 2018 at the earliest.
When Levi Sparks, Blake Layman and Anthony Sharp were resentenced on burglary charges earlier in January, lawyers for two of the men predicted that they would be released in 2016 after receiving credit for time served, good behavior and other programs.
But now that the Indiana Department of Correction has sorted out the credits, the three will spend at least another 20 months behind bars before being released.
Levi Sparks, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for his burglary charge, will not be released until April 8, 2017, at the earliest, according to the IDOC website.
Layman, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, is scheduled to be released Oct. 3, 2017, at the earliest.
Sharp was also sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he is scheduled to be released May 13, 2018, at the earliest, according to the IDOC website. Layman’s release date is earlier because he completed the prison GED program, which allows for early release, while Sharp has not.
Sparks, Layman and Sharp were originally charged with felony murder for an October 2012 burglary in which a co-conspirator was shot and killed by the burglary victim. They were convicted in August 2013, but the Indiana Supreme Court overturned their convictions in September and instead ordered that they be convicted of burglary.
Jose Quiroz, the fourth man part of the group known as the Elkhart Four, pleaded guilty to felony murder. His sentence was not affected by the Indiana Supreme Court ruling, but he has sought post-conviction relief, The Elkhart Truth reported. His case is ongoing.
