BOARD REFUSES PAROLE FOR ALABAMA MAN IN PARENTS’ SLAYING

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama’s parole board is refusing to release a man convicted of killing his parents with a hatchet in their home in Huntsville in 1998.

The board refused parole for Jeffrey Franklin during a hearing Tuesday.

Franklin is now 36. He was 17 when parents Gerald and Cynthia Franklin were hacked to death with the hatchet inside their home. Three of Franklin’s younger siblings also were attacked but survived.

Franklin pleaded guilty to multiple charges of murder and attempted murder and is serving a life sentence. The board considered the case automatically because he has been in prison for 15 years.

Authorities say they collected evidence that includes writings in which Franklin planned the slayings. A prosecutor has said the writings were sprinkled with themes of devil worship and sex.