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Posted on 08/22/2026 5:31:38 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
A decade after Natalie Murphy was sentenced to prison for the death of her boyfriend in Juneau County, she is asking Gov. Tony Evers to shorten her sentence.
Murphy, now 33, was one of 12 people who appeared before Wisconsin’s new Commutation Advisory Board Friday as the state held its first commutation hearings in decades.
Murphy was 21 when she was arrested on Feb. 12, 2015, after Andrew Dammen was shot and killed inside an apartment in Necedah.
Murphy was initially charged with first-degree intentional homicide. She was ultimately convicted of first-degree reckless homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
In December 2016, she was sentenced to 20 years of confinement followed by six-and-a-half years of extended supervision.
During Friday’s hearing, Murphy acknowledged her responsibility for Dammen’s death.
“My decisions directly caused his death,” Murphy said.
Murphy said she has spent her time in prison focused on rehabilitation, completing 18 therapeutic programs and earning educational and professional certifications.
“There’s saying sorry and then there’s doing sorry,” she said.
Murphy said she hopes to return home, work as a certified peer specialist and be present for her two daughters if her sentence is shortened.
“It’s my hope that nothing can undo Andy’s death, that I can honor his memory with our daughter and be the parent I should have been more than a decade ago,” Murphy said.
Dammen’s family is asking the board to deny Murphy’s request.
His brother, Zane Long, told the board the family has spent the past decade dealing with the impact of Dammen’s death.
“I feel as if my family is being suspended over an ocean of sorrow at the whim of a commutation board,” Long said.
“This wound deserves healing, and my family deserves healing.”
In a letter to the board, Dammen’s mother said she does not believe Murphy has fully accepted responsibility for her son’s death. She also expressed concern about the impact of an early release on Dammen’s children and the potential for continued contact between the two families.
The hearing is part of a process Evers restarted in April, when he signed executive orders creating the Commutation Advisory Board and restoring Wisconsin’s commutation process.
A commutation can shorten the sentence of someone currently incarcerated, potentially allowing them to be released earlier. It differs from a pardon, which generally applies after a person has completed their sentence.
More than 800 people have applied for commutation since Evers announced the process would return.
The last Wisconsin governor to commute a sentence was Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1995. Former Gov. Scott Walker did not exercise the state’s clemency powers during his eight years in office.
The advisory board will review the 12 cases and make recommendations to Evers, who will make the final decisions.
No decision has been made on Murphy’s request. She remains incarcerated under her current sentence.
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It’s what Democrats do.
The mask slipped there.
“...earning educational and professional certifications.”
“… work as a certified peer specialist ….”
What is that? Her peers are other murderers, aren’t they?
I'd be willing to bet that Andrew Dammen is still dead at the same age he was when he was murdered. Only 12 years for murder is not nearly enough.
“It’s my hope that nothing can undo Andy’s death, that I can honor his memory with our daughter and be the parent I should have been more than a decade ago,” Murphy said.
Uhmmmm....LOL..Sarcastic comedy?
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