Drama still abounds around a Flint man convicted of murder in Lapeer County who was released and then returned to custody earlier this month.
Kenneth Nard was convicted for the 1975 killing of two boys in Lapeer County, with his original sentence calling for life in prison. However, in early December, the now 66-year-old was released after serving only 48 years, following a review on December 4 that lowered his sentence to that of 60 to 150 years in jail.
While Nard’s good behavior and other credits were considered to grant the shortened sentence and parole, officials found that his release process did not follow Michigan Department of Corrections’ procedures. Nard, who had been under 18 when he committed the crimes, was entitled to a review of his sentence following a state supreme court case in 2022 that found inmates needed to be resentenced if they received a life sentence for a crime committed when a minor.
While the parole board has ultimately found that Nard is eligible for parole, he was not eligible for immediate release. Nard returned to incarceration at the Thumb Correctional Facility on December 8, with a months-long process to determine if he meets the state’s statutory standards for parole to take place soon.
