Woman released from prison

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Screams erupted from a Los Angeles courtroom Monday when a 74-year-old woman who spent the last 32 years in prison received a reduced sentence and was scheduled to be released.

Mary Virginia Jones, shown in a family photo, was set to be released from prison after serving 32 years for conviction on two murder charges, a judge ruled on March 24, 2014.

Mary Virginia Jones was convicted with first-degree murder without the possibility of parole in 1982 for her participation in the kidnapping and shooting of two men. On Monday, a judge reduced her sentence to voluntary manslaughter and time-served.

Family members in attendance at Monday’s hearing shouted following the ruling and were asked to “quiet down.”

“My mother never wavered on her belief of No. 1: her innocence, and the fact that she never should have been in custody,” Jones’ daughter, Demitra Jones-Goodie, said outside of the courthouse.

Although it was believed she could be released as early as Monday afternoon, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was dealing with paperwork and release was tentatively set for Tuesday, according to Gilien Silsby of USC Gould School of Law.

In 1981 Jones, known as “Mother Mary” to family and friends, was ordered, at gunpoint, to drive two kidnapped men to an alley in Los Angeles where they were later shot, according to a USC Gould School of Law news release .

Mose Willis, a homeless man who had begun living with Jones and attending church with her a few months before the 1981 crime occurred, kidnapped two drug dealers and ordered Jones to drive a car to the alley, according to the release.

Willis shot both men as Jones ran from the scene and stayed as a friend’s house until she was arrested a few days later, the release stated. One of the men was killed in the incident, Silsby said.

Willis died several years ago on death row, Jones-Goodie said.

Before the crime, Jones never had a run-in with the law, owned her own home, worked full-time for the Los Angeles Unified School District as a teacher’s aid, and was raising her kids, Heidi Rummel of the USC Justice Project said.

Jones was represented by law students at USC’s Post-Conviction Justice Project who said Jones would not have been convicted if the jury had heard expert testimony on the effects of Battered Women’s Syndrome, also known as intimate partner battering, the release stated.

“Mr. Willis forced Jones at gunpoint to participate in the robbery and kidnapping — she ran down the alley fully expecting him to shoot and kill her, too” co-director of USC’s Post-Conviction Justice Project Heidi Rummel said.

Jones-Goodie continued to support her mother through the 32-year ordeal.

“It has not been the same for any of us, me in particular, since my mother has been gone,” she said. “I really felt as though I had lost a part of my being.”

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported that two men were murdered. Only one man died as a result of the shooting incident. This story has been updated to reflect the changes.

Woman who ran Kennebunk 'Zumba brothel' released from prison

Alexis Wright told prosecutors her business partner tricked her into believing she was a secret operative investigating deviants. Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Alexis Wright left the York County Jail about 9.45am Saturday after serving nearly six months of a 10-month sentence that was reduced because of good behavior and participation in a work program.

Wearing a gray suit and clutching a stack of folders, Wright strode out of the jail and into the waiting sport utility vehicle driven by her husband.

"I have no comment," she said.

The scandal erupted a year ago in an unlikely place, a small town known for its beaches, New England charm and proximity to former President George HW Bush's seaside estate in Kennebunkport.

Fitness clients were surprised by Wright's prostitution business, but police officers had become suspicious after fielding complaints about groaning, loud music and men coming and going from an office Wright rented across the street from her studio.

According to police, her business partner, Mark Strong, watched the sexual encounters unfold in real time via computer in his insurance company's office. In a twist at her sentencing, Wright said that her business partner had tricked her into believing she was a secret operative investigating sexual deviance.

Prosecutors didn't buy Wright's story, saying investigators continue to believe the 30-year-old Wright was "a willing participant" in the prostitution business. Detailed records over an 18-month period indicated Wright made $150,000 tax-free. She also collected more than $40,000 in public assistance, prosecutors said.

Strong, a 58-year-old married father of two, acknowledged having an affair with Wright and helping her start the fitness studio but said he didn't profit from the prostitution. He was convicted of 13 counts related to promotion of prostitution and sentenced to 20 days in jail.

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