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In 2023, Betty Heron, then an 83 year old woman enduring 41 years of incarceration, (now 43) was refused her plea for freedom by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons.

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In 1982, she was sentenced to life without parole. A severely battered woman, the battered women's syndrome was not well understood or articulated as a defense. 

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At her commutation hearing before the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in 2023, her plea for freedom was sabotaged by an unvetted victim's family member. This individual had never met Betty Heron. This individual made wildly untrue and dishonest allegations. Her advocates were not given an opportunity to respond.

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The portrait below refers to her 42 years in prison as of 2024. Forty two is half her age. She began her life without parole sentence at the age of forty two. 42+42=84.

 

​Victim's families' misinformed, unchallenged testimonies obstruct the freedom of both Betty Heron and Cyd Berger.

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The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has been cavalier about the lives of legions of incarcerated individuals.