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Comments Show Residents not in Favor Lisa Owens’ Possible Early Prison Release
Lisa Owens
A deluge of posts came into the comment area on the WKVI Discussion Board about the story on Lisa Owens yesterday. Owens is the woman who is reportedly going to get an early release from prison after being convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter in the death of her husband in 2001. Owens was sentenced to 40 years by then Starke Circuit Court Judge David Matsey after being found guilty of shooting and killing her husband in the shower. Current Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall was the Prosecutor in the case.
Both of the men have been contacted by the Oprah Winfrey Network trying to gain information about the case, as Owens will be a guest on a show entitled “Breaking Down the Bars”. She is expected to be released from the Rockville Correctional Facility in 2011, possibly as early as May.
Most of the comments to the story felt the early release was unjustified. Of the first 20 comments, only one thought release was justified.
Of those commenting of the possible appearance of Owens on the Oprah Network, one said, “Who is Oprah Winfrey to think she’s an authority on this?”
One thanked Judge Kim Hall for not appearing on the show, calling it “a circus.”
January 13th, 2011 at 8:10 am
I can’t believe that you can shoot your husband then leave his body in the shower over several days and then do less time in jail then a person that gets convicted over drugs. The murderers, rapists, and child molesters get a slap on the wrist while non-victim crimes get harshly punished. It isn’t hard to see that the system isn’t working. Jeff Owens was a very nice young man, who was always very polite whenever I encountered him. Where is justice for Jeff?
January 13th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
She was unfaithful, a gambling addict, totally deceitful, & so after 9 yrs(less time than for minor drug or theft charges), she is getting out of prison with a huge smile on her face. There’s NO justification to Jeff’s murder, especially in the heinous way she did it, & she used every resource he had then killed him. And now she’s coming out of jail, a glorified hero w/ college educations, getting paid for her “tragic” story & how she “overcame”. This is SICK, for I’ve not heard ANYONE wanting to know more about Jeff, who loved her, gave all he had & was killed for it. Knowing Jeff since Kindergarten, he was the kindest fella I knew. Had the biggest smile, always joking(never degrading), rode our BMX’s & thought we were cool. If you called needing a hand, he was ALWAYS there. Very hard working & faithful(kept the same job from after high school), & was wise in a unique way. So much more everyone could say, but just 1 of the best people I ever knew. Sad that those with the biggest hearts get taken advantage of like this. IN NO WAY SHOULD THIS WOMAN BE LET OUT OF PRISON.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
It looks like the “system” that Rae complains about is this one person who is letting her out. Everyone else in the system tried to keep her in. Where did this judge Kickbush come from?
January 13th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
When you say she was sentanced to 40 yrs., that means she will really only do 20. In Indiana we do have a “good time” system. Wouldn’t her sentance modification have to come through the Starke County system again, or is it out of their hands now? From what I understand, Lisa has been smileing ever since she shot her husband and was always a model inmate. She is crazy enough to keep her composure no matter what situation you put her in. This case has baffled me from the beginning, but I didn’t know about the abuse. I think she should do the rest of her time. 10 more years will do her good. Like they said, It is easy to be a model prisoner when your in such a controled environment. Just because she is educated and helping others should not be her ticket out. There are plenty of people in prison who wish they had not done what they did to get there, and would probly never do it again if they were let out. But that was taken away from them the day they committed the crime. Murder is a very violent crime, and she should finish her time.
January 13th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
It sounds to me, with all the programs she was involved in, and her good time, she has probably done her time. She gets time cuts for every program she is in, and a 2 yr. time cut for receiving her BA, and who knows how many more time cuts she has got. So maybe with the IDOC system set up the way it is, she has done her time, and is being released. I guess everyone should have been more involved in the sentencing phase back 10 yrs. ago when this happened. Another murderer on the streets, while other non-violent criminals sit and wait, and hopefully don’t committ another crime while incarcerated to get more time. Hmmm….
January 13th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
First of all, I did’nt know either of these people but after the recent shootings in Arizona, the public already wants to hang Jared Loughner (the shooter) from the highest tree they can find and they want it done RIGHT NOW! For what reason? Becuase he shot and killed a little girl and several others and mortally wounded a U.S. congresswomen. These were terrible acts of violence and should not be and can not be condoned in our society. I am certain that this man will probibly end up sucking the pipe or never see the light of day for the rest of his life. Why then do we condone this behavior in the case of the Owens women? Because her victom was not a congressmen or a pretty little girl? In our society, there are all kinds of options this women could have takin before commiting the unthinkable act of murder, if in fact she was a victom of physical abouse by her husband. She had these options availible to her for as long as this abuse had been going on, if the abuse alligations are true. She chose to murder him instead. She is not insane otherwise, they would not be considering freeing her into society in the first place. I’m sure her family and friends want her to be released just as much as her victoms family and friends want there loved one back. But in this country, we put a value on a persons life, weather he or she is a cute little kid, a congresswomen or just a regular Joe. Justice should be blind of who we are in the eyes of others in these instances. I my eyes, this women was let off easy with a forty year sentence to begin with. In life, for every action, there is a reaction. Like I said, the shooter in Arizona will surely see the full wrath of the U.S. justice system for commiting murder, why is this case different? Murder is murder! Why are treating her differently then we are going to treat him?
January 13th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Someone needs to copy all of the comments from today’s article as well as yesterday’s and send it to the prison and Oprah. Let them see how the community feels about this cold blooded killer being released back into society!
January 13th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
There’s no way that this Judge Actally thinks she deserve to get out, LISA KILLED A GOOD PERSON It was PREMEDICATED & should be CHARGE for MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE & Gotten LIFE w/o Parole, Look at how many People that has done all there time & COMPLETED CLASSES , was a Prison Role Model, Got a EDUCATION, & SOME, They say you can only get up too 2 yrs Time Cuts, & Lisa is getting a 10 yr cut for MURDER, They put Men & Women in for not Paying Child Support for 8 & 10 yr Bits, That puts them even farther behind, for there pymt don’t stop. The only way a 40 yr SENTENCE to be DROP too 10 YRS should be a Person that was ACTUALLY INNOCENT & took that long to PROVE theirselve, Not too LISA who is NOTHING but DOWN RIGHT QUILTY for TAKING A INNOCENT LIFE, The COURT SYSTEM is TOTALLY WRONG too let this happen, I don’t think this has ever happen too anyone too get a BREAK like this, It is ALL SO SO WRONG & NOT FAIR to those doing A LOT OF TIME for a LESSER CRIME, JAILS & PRISON are OVERCROUDED & The System trying too let Inmates lose that are NONVIOLENT too Put The HARD & VIOLENT CRIMINALS AWAY & LISA is NO WAY NEAR BEING NONVIOLENT, Lisa getting 40 yrs which would be doing 20 was ALREADY GIVING HER A PAT ON THE BACK, If anything RETRIED HER & give her the PENALTY She DESERVE LIFE W/O PAROLE… I hope & Pray the Family gets too have a say in this matter for She took a LOVEONE away from them & Left them with Only Memories & not his FREEDOM.. Too the PEOPLE of the COURT does she really DESERVE her FREEDOM for taking Jeff’S FREEDOM, & How would you feel if it was one of your LOVEONES…
January 13th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Fact is, there was NO abuse. She is a lying cheat. She was 10′s of $1,000′s in debt from her gambling addiction. She drained Jeff’s bank, cozied up to the “bookies”, then took an innocent life. How she hid all this from Jeff…I guess love is blind. But she never told the truth from the start, but would you expect it from a cold-blooded murderer? & she’s still the lying deceitful murderer she was then. & IT BOGGLES MY MIND that she was given many college degrees & is viewed as a saint now & glorified by Oprah. Oprah is truely a FOOL if she eats this woman’s crap. And why in the heck r we payin for a murderer’s college when hard workin Americans can’t afford it. THIS IS CRAZY. We shouldn’t even be at this point. As evil as she committed the murder, she shuda been put to death, no questions asked. I also believe other’s, such as casino’s bookie & her ride awaiting her after she killed Jeff, should’ve been held accountable.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Why would this case be plea bargained,she was a cold blooded
killer who should have been sentenced to life in prison without
the possibility of parole.That is a question the prosecutor and judge should have to answer.Would she have been such a model
prisoner if she knew it wasn’t going to help her get out of prison
early.She should have been given the death penalty for her cocky
smile in her mug shot.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Quit crying. She’lll burn in hell one day for it. Who is anyone to judge her over this.. all of you are hypocrites. You want to do something about it write your congressmen. or &!itch Daniels. Thats all Ive read for 2 days now about people complaining shes getting out.. You’re not going to do anything about it so you might as well quit. And people protesting isn’t going to change a thing. To Phil, your absolutely right! The mob is so quick to “Hang” But I say let Owens out!!! if the Mob is in such an upheavil then someone should go and assasinate her “Execution style” I mean hell, you’ll be out in 10 years right? all you’ve got to do is put a smile on your face and be a good lil prisoner and just think of it, you’ll be welcomed back into the county of Starke with big open arms! Because you have done the county a favor and brought justice to the human mind that has no place making the descisions for the judicial system.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:32 am
How dare any of you judge, Do any of you truly know what happen that day? No…Do I No, But we shouldn’t pass judgement onto her or anyone else for that. Have any of you spent any amount of time at any of the IDOC Sites? NO! You all act like your letting a horrible person out. Your more worried about her getting out then everything else that is going wrong in this county. This women has been through a lot while being locked up. Did any of you know that? So what she spent time and went to school while she was in prison. Your all just mad because it was on the states tab. Wow, She is such a bad person for trying to do something with her life while locked up. You all don’t have one clue about the programs offered, or the impact that they have on a offender. You people have no clue what a offender has to do everyday…You all act like it is a free ride…Seriously..You all talk about her debit, and such but I’m sure that everyone that has left these rude comments is in some kinda debt, or has little money in there pocket. We all have some type of problems and bashing someone because they have been locked up is by no means acceptable. Your not her, You don’t have to live with the horrid thought of what she did that day. That impact will never leave a person. I’m also sure that most of you out there know someone in this so called wonderful county that is much more of a horrible person then Ms.Owens. It’t time for everyone to grow up and it just shows your all low life’s worrying about someone getting out of prison when you all clearly have bigger issues at hand. I truly believe until your in her shoes you should keep your mouth shut. Maybe that is what is wrong with this county is that everyone is worried about everyone else business. Oh wait, that isn’t possible because it is stake county. Lastly if Oprah wants her on her show, good for her…All that she has ever done is tried to help people. I’m sure Oprah doesn’t go around looking into things for shows if there wasn’t a real reason. So Seriously grow up/
January 14th, 2011 at 3:59 am
WOW! This is really hard to believe…I have a dear friend in Illinois whom shot her son-in-law in the ARM, mind you…in the ARM…just wounded him b/c he molested his daughter however…he runs free and she is spending 24 yrs in prision…now u tell me where the justice is!
January 14th, 2011 at 8:50 am
if none of you have ever been through an abusive relationship, you have no room to talk. My ex-husband was thought to be one of the nicest, helpful, smiling people anyone could know. But behind closed doors, he would hit, push, redicule, truly abuse in every sense of the word, physically, emotionally and mentally. When it came to the point that I knew he had to sleep sometime and was thinking of using a baseball bat, I knew it was time to get out. No one could believe it. Everyone who knew him thought he was so very nice. My kids and I knew different.
Whether this guy was that way or not. He and she are the only ones who know the real truth. Who made any of you God to be able to judge another. Let the legal system do their job.
January 16th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
I was in an abusive relationship and I hid it from my family & friends, but they all knew me to know that something was not right and they helped me get out. Why didn’t she get out? I was threated, but I still got out of the relationship. I never considered shooting him, because of it. If her first response was to shot him then there is something going on inside her that’s not right. She needs therapy and lots of it!
March 9th, 2011 at 12:56 am
If any of the people who are opposed to her release had ever been in an abusive relationship, and felt the fear, and helplessness that comes with it, they may view this act of desperation much differently. I am in now way condoning her acts. But have you ever stopped to think of the “time she served” before being in prison? most relationships that are truly dysfunctional are not going to be proud to put their business out there and you hear it time and again when things finally erupt, about “how surprised ” all of the closest people to the VICTIMS had no idea there was even a problem. Bottom line there are two unfortunate victims in this case and many others just like it.
March 12th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I concur that unless you are in immediate danger there is no justification for murder. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors and i believe her if she says she was abused. Her vices (gambling ) play no part as to whether abuse took place. She admitted that she was humiliated and abused the night before she took action the following day. In my opinion this is premeditated murder. She also admitted to being angry and fed up, and this is why she shot her husband. She was not in imminent danger when she murdered him. She could have walked away with the clothes on her back and never looked back. I don’t doubt that she was abused irregardless of how he treated others. The ‘nicest’ people are abusers and hide behind a facade. I do believe her though when she says that her pent up anger caused her to snap, and murder him. She though, took abuse to the highest level by killing her husband. In essence her husband was also a victim of her abuse; it may have been in retaliation, but she used deadly force out of anger. Abuse is abuse. Once she killed him she became a danger to society and should therefore be made to finish out her forty year sentence. Her academic achievements mean nothing. I could care less whether she has a P.H.D. Who cares about ‘good behavior’ in a setting where their are swift punishments for ‘bad behavior’. It is important to keep in mind that all inmates are looking for a release date, and know exactly what they need to do, to accomplish that goal. There is no reason for sentence modification according to the plea deal. She took the plea but now wants to escape punishment. This shows that she has no remorse. If murdering someone, is how she deals with abuse and the resultant anger; she needs to stay incarcerated. You cannot murder people who are abusing you. The other and only option is too leave. That may entail leaving with the clothes on your back and sleeping in a shelter. It may also mean leaving your place of employment and basically starting over, elsewhere. The world is pretty big. This is just the price that you pay when abuse is not stopped immediately. She had that choice also to have left after the first, second, third, fourth etc. acts of abuse. She opted to stay and in this day and age we know that violence only escalates with deadly consequences. In this case she lost the gamble. She gambled with her life by not leaving when the marriage became abusive. In order to remedy this situation she committed a premeditated cold blooded murder. Also there are two sides to every situation, and many women who say they are abused, are also abusers. The problem with death is that he cannot speak for himself. She definitely may have been abused but she also could have been abusive; she is capable of extreme violence, such as: murder.
March 13th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I would not want to be standing in your shoes on judgement day…let God deal with her as I’m sure she has to deal with it….why don’t some of you take the time to look in the mirror and deal with your angelic selves, seems to me that would be time well spent.I pray that if any one of you have a unfortunate mistake that changes your life and how others see you that others help pick you up and show you live and compassion!
March 13th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Jeff Owens should be alive,BUT he was shot and murdered while taking a shower in his house.Why, why , why is Lisa Owens possibly getting out of prison? She killed him ! Other people have done a whole lot less and will serve more time for the crime they committed…… This is just WRONG !
April 18th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Who has not wanted to kill their husband? If we all did it the jail would be full. No we work it out, she could of left yes she needs to spend her 20 years wipe a smile off her face and hopefully never gets to find a job using her education because of her crime. Doesn’t matter if she was abused or not, she could of left him, he would of gotten the idea when she told him about her debt and so forth.