Marie Scott, 71, incarcerated more than a half-century for murder, has her life sentence commuted by Gov. Josh Shapiro
June 16, 2025
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Marie Scott, 71, who has spent more than half a century in prison for murder after she and her then-boyfriend robbed a gas station store and he killed the cashier, will be eligible for parole after Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the commutation of her life sentence.
Last month, Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons voted unanimously to recommend that Scott’s life sentence be reduced to time served. The decision had been awaiting approval from Shapiro.
Shapiro, who has long called the mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for felony murder unjust and unconstitutional, approved the commutation Friday, said Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s press secretary [….]
As a provision for the commutation, Scott will serve at least six more months behind bars as a penalty for the three times she escaped from prison decades ago before she is eligible for parole, Bonder said.
When Scott learned that her sentence was commuted, she cried out with happiness, said Rupalee Rashatwar, one of her attorneys at the Abolitionist Law Center.
‘She thanked God and she was screaming and hollering with joy when she found out the news,’ Rashatwar said.”