Convicted murderers denied parole

Parole for Shannon Dean Barlow and Franklin Lee Barlow was denied Tuesday as the pair appeared before the Alabama Pardons and Parole Board.
According to officials in the Montgomery office, the pair was denied parole and a reset was put in place that will keep them from seeking another parole hearing until 2016.
The Barlow brothers, along with Albert Gaynoe Beasley, were found guilty in the 1993 murder of Kathy Victor Hall Barlow and her 12-year-old daughter, Angel Hall, in their Nokomis home. Kathy Barlow was the stepmother of Shannon and Franklin Barlow at the time of the murder.
At the time of the incident, Shannon Dean Barlow was only 15 years old, but he was tried as an adult due to the nature of the crimes.
In a 1993 , then-Sheriff Tim Hawsey stated the victim’s bodies had been discovered a day after their deaths in the Bluff Springs, Fla., area where they had been buried in a sandy area about 15 miles from their home. Hawsey also said evidence indicated the two had died from gunshot wounds.
When the case went to trial, Beasley was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for his part in the crime. He is currently serving his sentence at Holman Prison.
Both Barlow’s were convicted for their part in the double homicide case and have been imprisoned at Limestone Correctional Facility.
Shannon Barlow was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences after a plea agreement with prosecutors. Franklin Barlow was sentenced to two life terms.
Although neither men were to be considered eligible for parole for at least 30 years following their sentencing, overcrowding in prisons, as well as other policy changes, have forced changes allowing them to be considered for parole.
Tuesday’s parole hearing was the second in recent years for the pair. In 2005, parole was also denied with a reset date of 2010. Tuesday’s hearing was delayed due to a backlog of requests for hearings by the board.