By Jack Brammer
NKyTribune reporter
A man who was sentenced to death after being convicted in 1988 of kidnapping, raping, and killing a Covington woman is going to get a chance at parole thanks to the controversial sentence reduction by former Gov. Matt Bevin.
Meanwhile, two nieces of the murdered woman want to keep behind bars the convicted man.
Greg Wilson, now 67, is to make his first appearance before the state parole board on Jan. 22 for the murder of Deborah Pooley of Covington.
Wilson initially received a death sentence but former Gov. Bevin commuted it to life with the possibility of parole before he left office in 2019.
It was one of several controversial pardons and commutations Bevin issued in his last days as governor that helped sink his chances for re-election in 2019.
Wilson’s case had been appealed several times but the death sentence was upheld until Bevin commuted it.
Bevin’s reduction of Wilson’s sentence angered many of Pooley’s family members and friends.
Bevin said he agreed to the commutation because he was convinced that Wilson had inadequate legal representation.
“It was too bad the commutation was not for life without parole to make sure this man is never released,” said Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders, who will argue against Wilson’s parole.
He noted that Wilson had spent 12 years in an Ohio prison, prior to the rape and murder of Pooley. He had been released from prison less than a month when he abducted Pooley.
Rob Sanders (file photo)
While in custody for Pooley’s rape and murder, Wilson pleaded guilty to 13 counts of rape in Ohio.
Two sisters who are nieces of Pooley are trying to make sure Wilson remains in jail.
Sanders said they have asked the media not to identify them because they fear for their safety if Wilson is released.
An online petition has gathered more than 6,600 signatures, recommending that Wilson not be paroled.
Asked if such efforts work, Sanders said, “Yes. In my experience, such public support for victims goes a long way in deciding what happens to the convicted.”
Brenda Humphrey, Wilson’s girlfriend and co-conspirator in Pooley’s murder, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. She was paroled in April 2017 after serving 28 years behind bars.
Wilson and Humphrey were convicted of kidnapping Pooley in May 1987 from a parking lot near her home in Covington.
Testimony in the trial revealed that Wilson raped and strangled Pooley death while Humphrey drove them all to Indiana.
The decomposed remains of Pooley, a 36-year-old restaurant manager, were found two weeks later in a field about 20 miles west of Indianapolis. She also had been robbed.
See an earlier story about the commutation of Greg Wilson’s sentence here.
To express your opinion on the parole issue: pbvictimservices@ky.gov
