RALEIGH, N.C. — A former UNC Greensboro student convicted of murdering four people could get a second chance.
A parole hearing happened Tuesday for Janet Danahey.
According to her attorney Don Vaughan, Commissioner Atkinson held this hearing over the phone.
Several witnesses presented testimonies on Danahey's behalf including her sister, Emily, and the father of one of the victims who died in the fire.
Danahey's sister said, "but we also know the truth matters, and this is an opportunity that the state provides for truth-telling and I'm grateful for that."
Bob Harris, the father of Beth Harris who died in the fire, was also a witness.
He said, "she is a remarkable young woman, and not that she would replace Beth as my daughter, but if she was my daughter I'd be proud of her."
Vaughan explained her time incarcerated saying, “she has been beyond the model inmate.”
Commissioner Atkinson is taking the testimonies to the other commissioners for a vote.
If Danahey gets two out of the four votes, then the commission will determine the conditions of her release.
Danahey has been in prison for the last 20 years for setting a fire at the Campus Walk Apartments in 2002.
She said it was a prank to get back at her ex-boyfriend, but the fire spread to the entire building, killing four people.
In December, Gov. Roy Cooper commuted her sentence, making her eligible for parole years ahead of schedule.
Now, the decision is in the hands of the parole board commissioners. If her parole is granted, then commissioners will determine when she will be released and the conditions for it.
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