Convicted double murderer Shanda Spears Crain has filed a request for Gov. John Bel Edwards to grant her clemency.
She was convicted of the 1995 murder of her parents at their Star Hill residence on Highway 438 in far northern Washington Parish. Her parents were Lander Spears Sr. and Bobbie Spears.
The case became notorious and her 1997 trial was widely covered by Louisiana media. An Oxygen Channel TV documentary about the case was televised in May of 2017.
Termed the “Video Poker Murders”, evidence in her trial indicated that Crain killed her parents for their life insurance policies that named her as one of the beneficiaries. Prosecutors showed that she had run up debts and embezzled money because of her addiction to video poker.
After Crain was found guilty of the murders, the jury was deadlocked on whether or not she should be put to death. District Court Judge John Green sentenced her to life in prison without benefit of pardon or parole.
She is not seeking a pardon now. Rather, with a clemency petition she is asking the governor to reduce her life sentence.
A spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Corrections said Crain’s clemency request will go through an involved process before any decision is made. Public comments will be considered.
There was heavy public interest in her case back when the murders happened and during her trial, so this article will be updated as developments in the clemency request occur.
