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Death Row Inmate Seeks Lesser Sentence Despite Commutation to Life

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SALISBURY, Md. (AP) - A Maryland inmate whose death sentence was commuted to life in prison is hoping to argue for less time behind bars.

On Jan. 20, former Gov. Martin O'Malley commuted the death sentences of four inmates who had been sentenced before the state banned capital punishment in 2013. Among them was Jody Lee Miles, convicted in the 1997 robbery and murder of Edward Atkinson in Wicomico County.

Miles' attorneys say their client won't accept the commutation. The Daily Times reports that Miles' attorneys are asking the Court of Special Appeals to find his new life sentence illegal so they can argue for less prison time for him at a new sentencing.

A spokesman for Maryland's attorney general's office says O'Malley had the authority to commute the death sentences.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.