Boone County Man Charged with Murder Released Early

A Boone County man originally sentenced to life without parole, has been released from prison after serving just shy of 26 years.

The story from KTLO below:

Benjamin MacFarland was convicted for the murder of John Melbourne Jr., which took place on August 19, 1996.

MacFarland was a juvenile when he committed the crime, initially sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to KYTV/KSPR.

David Ethredge, prosecuting attorney over the Arkansas 14th Judicial District says, “We respect that decision. We think it was appropriate because no one understood the facts of that case any better than the people that heard it.”

McFarland was resentenced in 2017, to 40 years in prison, by Circuit Court Judge John Putnam, following a ruling by the U.S Supreme Court stating life-without-parole sentences were unconstitutional.

MacFarland became eligible for parole following the resentencing because he had served 70 percent of his time. His case is one of roughly 60 in Arkansas that have been revisited since the ruling on the unconstitutional sentencing.

Ethredge says, “We think, at least in our position, we have an obligation to the community and the victims’ families. They believe there’s closure and an answer, and then that’s been changed, and that’s difficult.