GOLD BEACH – Michael Kelley, sentenced to 25 years to life when he was convicted in 1987 of murdering his half-sister, is being paroled from prison.

Rumors in Curry County said Kelley was being released here, but authorities say that is not the case.

“The latest information we have is that Kelley will be released from prison on Feb. 1 and is to be supervised in Lane County,” Curry County Undersheriff Bob Rector said. 

 A Curry County jury deliberated only 50 minutes in July, 1987, before finding the then 17-year-old Kelley guilty in the shooting death of 23-year-old Michelle Marrington in her Harbor mobile home.

Kelley was 16 at the time of the shooting, which occurred Jan. 2, 1987

Kelley lived with Marrington, her husband and the couple’s two children at the time of the death.

Kelley had testified that the shooting was unintentional, even though the victim was shot twice with different guns.

Defense attorney Jim Gardner urged the jury to convict Kelley of manslaughter instead of murder.

There was testimony during the trial that Kelley had threatened to kill Marrington because she was threatening to report him to his parole officer in California.

Kelley was on parole from a California juvenile offender facility, where he had served time for petty theft and trespassing.

Kelley had said that his memory of the shooting was vague but that both guns went off unintentionally.

He took the Marrington’s vehicle after the shooting and drove to his hometown of Red Bluff, Calif. Along the way, he called the residence of Lisa and Jeff Marble, who were friends of his in Red Bluff.

The Marbles testified that Kelley talked of shooting his sister in the phone conversation and in later talks with them in Red Bluff. Circuit Judge Robert Walberg sentenced Kelley on Aug. 3.