BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A man, pardoned by Gov. Edwin Edwards in 1980 after serving six years of a life sentence for the 1973 killing of a Baton Rouge drugstore owner, wants his murder indictment wiped from his record.
Forest Hammond, a 53-year-old minister in Alexandria, claims he never pleaded guilty to killing Billy Middleton.
Hammond said Monday the conviction affects his employment opportunities and prevents him from going hunting because he is barred from owning a firearm.
In 1973, the 17-year-old Hammond was a star athlete at Capitol High School when prosecutors said he and another teenager tried to rob a drugstore where Hammond worked.
Alton Ramsey, accused of fatally shooting Middleton, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence.
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