GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Kent County prosecutor will not appeal the release of one of the two nurse’s aides convicted in the Alpine Manor Nursing home murders.
Catherine Wood, now 57, has served 29 years of her 20- to 40-year sentence in the 1987 murders. She was granted parole Oct. 1 and is set to be released on Oct. 24.
Family members of three of the five Alpine Manor murder victims said they planned to fight the release and file an appeal in Kent County Circuit Court. On Wednesday, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced he would not appeal the decision for several reasons.
Becker says the Michigan Department of Corrections correctly followed all their procedures as required and there is no precedent for an appeals court overturning a parole board decision when those procedures are followed.
Becker also cited Wood’s MDOC record, saying she has had an appropriate record while in prison and hasn’t done anything inappropriate while incarcerated, so there is no basis to argue her release.