Tom Wolf has commuted the sentence of the brother of prize-winning author John Edgar Wideman in a 1975 killing, clearing the way for his release. Wideman, now 68, was convicted of second-degree murder after participating in a 1975 robbery that resulted in the shooting death of car salesman Nichola Morena. The gunman was also convicted of second-degree murder, while a third accomplice was convicted of third-degree murder. Years after his trial, Wideman learned that Morena’s family had settled a malpractice lawsuit against the hospital that treated him. In “Brothers and Keepers,” Wideman ponders how he and his brother took such different paths, one leading to literary celebrity, the other to a life sentence.

Source: thestar July 02, 2019 21:22 UTC