Pa. Pardons Board to mull 88-year-old woman’s request

    Pennsylvania’s Pardons Board has decided to make no immediate decision in the case of an 88-year-old woman who’s been jailed for nearly half her life for masterminding the killing of a doctor in 1971.

    PennLive said the four-member board on Friday opted to take Lois Farquharson’s request “under advisement,” essentially giving them more time to review interviews, testimony and arguments presented in the case.

    Farquharson was sentenced to life without parole in 1974 for masterminding the shooting death of Dr. Leon Weingrad, a colleague at the then-Philadelphia State Hospital with whom she had a variety of professional and personal differences.

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    Farquharson’s then-lover Gloria Burnett, who shot and killed Weingrad, served 20 years and was released.

    The prosecutor who handled the case says Farquharson has never admitted guilt.

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