High court to hear case of man freed, then imprisoned again
An Orange County man who was released from prison for two days in 2015 — then put back behind bars because of an apparent error in calculating his sentence, will see his case go to the state’s highest court next month. Kenneth Purdy, 40, was arrested at 17 for his role in a man’s killing.
He helped two friends with a robbery and carjacking that ended with Willie Townsel, a 23year-old Orlando warehouse worker, being shot to death.
The jury never determined who fired the shots that killed Townsel, and Purdy has said he participated in the robbery but was not present when Townsel was murdered.
In 1997, he was sentenced to life in prison for felony murder and nine years for armed robbery and carjacking, records show.
But by 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that sentences of life without parole for minors could constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
The Florida Supreme Court decided anyone sentenced to life as a juvenile in the state was entitled to a new sentencing hearing.
Purdy’s sentence was reduced to 40 years, then to 20 years at another hearing, and he walked out of prison a free man.
Two days later when he came to a probation office to fill out paperwork, officials told him his sentence was miscalculated.
The nine-year sentence was supposed to start after the murder sentence was served, not be served at the same time, authorities said.
He was arrested again and is now imprisoned at Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach.
The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in his case Dec. 6 at 9 a.m.