The Altoona Mirror reports that the state supreme court rejected a motion from the attorneys for James Franklin Rodgers to have his sentence reduced. Rodgers was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison for the 1988 murder of Patsy Lascoli in Altoona. This was the first case ever in Pennsylvania to use DNA evidence to prosecute a murder trial. His defense team said that they wanted his sentence reduced to 25 years, which if granted would make him immediately eligible for parole, since he has been in prison for more than 30 years, but the high court said no. Rodgers is eligible for parole in 2028.
