Earlier release date set for man convicted of 1995 Lincoln double murder

Posted on February 21, 2019
jon morgan
Jon Morgan was 14 when he killed his grandparents in Lincoln in April 1995. (Illinois Department of Corrections photo)

 

By Howard Packowitz

LINCOLN – A man convicted of killing his grandparents in Lincoln almost 24 years ago is likely to be released from prison eight years sooner after Gov. Bruce Rauner, during his final days in office, altered the killer’s sentence.

Jon Morgan was originally sentenced to 75 years in prison for shooting-to-death Keith and Lila Cearlock in April of 1995.

Morgan was 14 at the time, but he was tried as an adult.

Rauner decided the two sentences for first- and second-degree murder should run at the same time instead of one after the other, which reduces the sentence to 58 years.

The Illinois Department of Corrections, on its website, said Morgan is now eligible for parole March 22, 2024. Prior to the governor’s decision, Morgan was eligible to be released in September 2032.

Morgan has served 21 years in prison, but he’s eligible for good time credit. Morgan, now 38, is in the Shawnee Correctional Center, a medium-security prison in southern Illinois.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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