Man Convicted In '86 Slaying Loses Commutation Bid
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has refused to commute the life sentence of a man who insists he was wrongly convicted of killing another man in a college parking lot in Port Huron in 1986.
Granholm spokeswoman Katie Carey says Tuesday that the governor followed the recommendation of the state parole board.
Temujin Kensu was convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Scott Macklem. The victim had planned to marry Kensu's former girlfriend.
Kensu says he was in the Upper Peninsula when the killing occurred. He was known then as Fred Freeman. In October, a federal judge vacated his conviction and said he deserves a new trial.
Kensu remains in prison while the state appeals. He has the support of the Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan law school.
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