Dying Inmate Released to Hospice Care After Being Diagnosed With Stage 4 Breast Cancer
A female Iowa inmate dying of breast cancer has been released to a hospice facility, making her the first inmate in the state sentenced to life as a juvenile and released after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The ruling stated that life sentences without parole for juveniles were unconstitutional.
Kristina Fetters, 33, was diagnosed in September with Stage 4 inoperable breast cancer. She is currently unable to walk and has to be helped by trained inmates, the Des Moines Register reported. She will likely be put on hospice care as soon as she is released, but it's clear that she has not been issued parole just yet. Instead, she will be assigned a parole officer but will not be allowed to leave the hospice facility.
"I would recommend or throw out to the board that perhaps we should wait a little while to see what happens with the treatment for Ms. Fetters," Dr. Robert Shreck, an oncologist, told the parole board. "Her response to treatment may change the kind of reentry plans that need to be made for her."
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Fetters was only 15 when she entered prison. She was convicted of murdering her great aunt Arlene Klehm, 73. Fetters admitted to the crime in 2009 at an interview with the WCF Courier.
"I take full responsibility. I don't justify – I can't justify – my behavior. I took her life," Fetters said. "It's like I can almost forgive myself. I never fully will be able to, but almost. It's like a tiny bit of peace."
Fetters' family is thrilled that she will be released, even under the current circumstances. They have been fully supportive of her release and filled the board room during the meeting deciding her fate.
"It's now time for my family to have closure," Darcy Olson, her aunt, told the parole board. "Kris' impending death cannot be denied, and while there has been negative comments, we believe, as the victims, that this family has suffered enough."
