By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The state Board of Pardons and Paroles will reconsider the parole that it granted to a woman serving a 30-year sentence for killing her husband. The decision comes after pressure from Governor Riley and from Attorney General Troy King. The board voted Monday to grant parole to Melanie Gray Lowery. The Etowah County resident has served almost 14 years of her sentence for killing her husband, Jackie Ray Lowery. He was a retired math teacher who was working as a minister in Hokes Bluff. Lowery pleaded guilty to the 1990 killing. The 49-year-old said she shot her husband because he was sexually abusing two of her children. But her late husband's brother says the claims of abuse are not true. It will be more than a month before another parole hearing is held.