(AP MODIFIED) — The ex-wife of a man who was convicted of driving his car into the Detroit River and drowning his four kids in 1989 is asking the state to keep him in jail.
Suzanne Delise released a letter this week after Lawrence DeLisle, 63, asked a parole board for a shorter prison sentence.
Lawrence said during a public board hearing that a leg cramp caused him to hit the gas pedal and plunge the vehicle into the river in Wyandotte
“The next thing I know I’m in the water, coughing, trying to locate the vehicle. ... A wave of despair came over me," DeLisle said.
He and his wife were rescued, but their four children, ages 8 and under, died. Lawrence, who has been in prison for nearly 35 years, is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Suzanna released a letter through her attorney to the parole board.
"On August 3, 1989, Larry murdered them (her kids) and he tried to murder me. It was not the first time he tried to kill his family. These words may be surprising because they stand in stark contrast to what I said I believed decades ago. I have been too scared to speak and believed my ex-husband was safely locked away. Now I am too scared not to speak," she wrote.
Only Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can commute, or shorten, Lawrence's prison term. The state parole board will review a transcript of the hearing, discuss the case and give an opinion.
Prosecutors also oppose his request.
He hasn't committed any misconduct while in prison, which is “very rare” for someone locked up for decades, state Corrections Department spokesman Kyle Kaminski said.
Parole board member Anthony King, who led the hearing, said it’s “hard to believe” that DeLisle didn’t slam on the brakes after the vehicle jerked forward.
The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school and the law school at Northwestern University are supporting DeLisle and say the crash was an accident, not a crime, the News reported.
“He's not a danger to anyone, and there’s no reason to keep him in prison,” said retired attorney Peter Van Hoek, who was involved in earlier appeals.
