Board grants early release to inmate who killed Illinois state trooper in 1976

Layton Davis
Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis Photo credit Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — A 71-year-old man convicted in an Illinois state trooper's 1976 killing has been released from prison after the state's Prisoner Review Board granted him early release.

The Herald & Review in Decatur reports that Aaron Hyche, who spent more than 45 years behind bars for Trooper Layton Davis' murder, was released Friday from the Dixon Correctional Center after being granted early release.

He was serving a sentence of 150 to 300 years in prison for fatally shooting Davis after the officer pulled him over for speeding on Interstate 57 a few miles north of Effingham.

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An online petition that advocated for Hyche's release states that he has "numerous critical illnesses."

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation