- James Pernell Sherard seeks parole nearly 40 years after his 1987 conviction.
- Sherard, who killed Madeline Beltran, claims he’s changed.
- The parole board will decide his fate, amid the victim’s family’s opposition.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was once told he would serve the rest of his natural life in prison went before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole on Tuesday — the second time in two years.
James Pernell Sherard pleaded guilty in 1987 to aggravated murder, a capital offense, for brutally stabbing Madeline Beltran, 52, repeatedly in the throat, chest, legs and lower abdomen. Evidence of sexual abuse was also found.
Sherard, however, was spared the death penalty and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. But during a parole hearing in 1989, the parole board told Sherard he would serve the rest of his natural life in prison…