CHARLOTTE, Mich. (WSYM) — There’s no sign of the grocery store that used to be on a busy road in Charlotte back in 1986, but it once was the scene of a murder that changed three families' lives.
Prosecutors say John Hubbard was closing down the store when two young men hid inside waiting to rob it.
On Thursday, one of those men’s cases was heard inside a Clinton County courtroom.
Roger Ruthruff was 18 at the time that he helped another man carry out Hubbard's murder 36 years ago.
He got a life sentence for the crime, but some people who work with him training dogs say he's a different man now.
"Every time I go in, Roger is one of my go-to's if I have questions. Like how's this dog doing? I can honestly say he seems to have learned from his mistake back then," said Tamiko Rehagen of Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan.
Because Ruthruff was given a life sentence for his role in Hubbard's murder, his attorney was petitioning the court to get him resentenced and possibly released based on the time he's already served.
But Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd says he argued against that with the victim's family in mind.
"Can you imagine even today how awful the Christmas and New Year's season must be for that family? John Hubbard has missed birthdays, anniversaries and all the little things in life," said Lloyd.
A Clinton County judge agreed with Lloyd's argument and will let the sentence stand for now.
That could change after decisions surrounding juvenile sentencing in higher courts is decided.
One group dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated individuals says everyone deserves a second chance.
"Right now, what we have in the state of Michigan is this sense of perpetual punishment where we punish people for the rest of their lives often for one mistake they made at a very early age," said Tony Gant of Nation Outside.
