Owensboro Woman Petitions to Keep Convicted Cop Killer in Prison

They've already gotten thousands of signatures.  But Michelle Wiesman (of Owensboro) and her family won't stop until they're certain that they have enough petition signatures to make a difference . . . again.  In April of 2010, Michelle's brother, Officer Bryan Durman, was killed in the line of duty.  And now, after serving just under 4 years of a 20-year prison term, his killer, Glenn Rahan Doneghy, is eligible for parole.

It was April 29th of 2010 that Officer Durman responded to a noise ordinance complaint.  He had pulled over a suspect and was standing roadside when he was struck and dragged by a vehicle driven by Doneghy, who was later convicted of 2nd Degree Manslaughter and a handful of other charges including 2nd Degree Assault and Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Failure to Render Aid.  Doneghy was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but is already being considered for parole due to a loophole in Kentucky criminal law.

At the time of Doneghy's conviction, 2nd Degree Manslaughter was considered a non-violent crime and, under the guidelines of Kentucky law, those convicted of the offense were only required to serve 20% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Michelle Wiesman and her family successfully lobbied government officials immediately following Doneghy's conviction and, just last spring, saw passage of the Bryan Durman Act, which was signed into law March 22nd of 2013.  Under the terms of the newly passed legislation, people convicted of criminal homicide in Kentucky will now be classified as "violent offenders" and, consequently, be subject to mandatory service of time and all applicable restrictions on parole and time served.  In other words, if Doneghy were convicted of his crimes against Officer Durman today, he would have to serve at least 85% of his 20-year sentence.  Instead, he's only required to serve 20% and could be released after having just served four years when he becomes eligible for parole in April.

But Wiesman, Officer Durman's widow and other family members are trying to prevent that.  They firmly believe that the man whose crimes caused caused passage of the new legislation should be held to it.  And they've launched an online petition that urges the Kentucky Parole Board to keep Glenn Rahan Doneghy behind bars.

If you would like to read more about the case, hear from Officer Durman's widow and sign the petition, CLICK HERE!

Officer Bryan Durman is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Police Department for 2 and half years before being killed in the line of duty.

Glenn Rahan Doneghy is currently serving his sentence in the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex.