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Family continues to fight to keep convicted killer behind bars

Jerry Neal Carpenter is convicted of killing Myrtle Chapman in 1985.

<(WBIR-Knoxville) Tuesday an East Tennessee family continued its fight to keep a man convicted of killing a Knox County woman behind bars.Jerry Neal Carpenter appeared at a parole hearing in Mountain City this morning.Family members watched the proceedings on live video here in Knoxville.Carpenter was convicted of killing Myrtle Chapman in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison.But because of the parole laws at that time, Carpenter is eligible for parole every three years.He was denied parole in 2007 and again in 2010.Even though it's been 30 years since Chapman's death, her family says each court appearance is still hard. "She was just such a loving person, she loved life, she loved her family and she was just always, every get together didn't really start until she got there," said her sister Wanda Martin. "We would like to see him stay in prison. The crime was very heinous and we just feel like he needs to spend the time"Two board members heard the case today.They voted to deny parole but four votes in agreement are required.The Department of Corrections says it usually takes a couple of weeks for a final decision.<

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