A state appeals court says a convicted murderer from Marion County is not entitled to a parole hearing every year.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled on Herman Barnes’ case Tuesday. It said a 2014 law requiring annual parole review does not apply to people convicted before that law was passed.
Barnes, 56, has been serving a life sentence since 1983. He was convicted of the 1982 shotgun slaying of Virgie Loretta Carson, 17, and Percy Quin, 58, during an armed robbery of John’s Quik Stop on Mississippi 35.
Earlier the state parole board decided to review his parole eligibility every four years. Barnes challenged that in circuit court, saying the law required a hearing every year, but Circuit Judge Anthony Mozingo dismissed his motion for lack of jurisdiction.
The appeals court on Tuesday unanimously upheld Mozingo’s decision.
