Years after their loved ones were murdered, some Virginia families are being forced to relive their trauma annually as the convicted killers become eligible for parole hearings, a process they call agonizing and unjust.
These families are speaking out against state laws, including geriatric conditional release, that they say fail to protect them from the emotional toll of repeatedly fighting to keep violent offenders behind bars.
In 1984, Vonda Buchanan’s 14-year-old sister, Sonya Peters, was abducted, raped, and murdered in Norfolk by Geoffrey Ward, who was later sentenced to eight life terms, no chance of parole and 240 additional years…