Letter to the Editor: Failing to elect people committed to holding criminals accountable puts communities at risk

My sister Amanda Folker was tragically murdered in Quincy, Ill., by Marvin Larry Betts on Oct. 6, 1996.

Betts, a stranger to her, followed her from a party and attacked her 42 times with a hatchet. He then attempted to set her body on fire by pouring lighter fluid over it.

This person has been released back into your community as of Sept. 12.

Betts pleaded guilty on May 20, 1997, before the start of the trial and was sentenced to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for murder by the Adams County Circuit Court. At the time of his sentencing, a truth-in-sentencing law enacted in August 1995 mandated that individuals convicted of certain crimes serve 100 percent of their sentence, which for Betts was 60 years.

However, this law was later deemed unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court, allowing Betts to be eligible for the previous 50 percent sentencing rule. Consequently, he only served 30 years for the heinous murder of my sister.

Our family learned in July that Betts was to be released in November 2024, three years sooner than anticipated. We were informed this was due to the last three years of parole being considered part of his sentence. On Sept. 12, we unexpectedly received an email notifying us of his release the following day, Sept. 13.

Illinois no longer holds parole hearings, denying us the opportunity to voice our concerns. A letter from the Prison Review Board indicated that Betts could be released early from his three-year parole for “good behavior.” We were invited to submit a letter if we wished to oppose this. Naturally, we will be writing that letter.

Due to credits for good time awarded by the Illinois Legislature through various bills, Betts benefited from:

• House Bill 1722 and SB 2872 (effective Jan. 1, 2018) enhancing program sentence credit eligibility.
• House Bill 94 (effective Jan. 1, 2020) allowing certain retroactive program sentence credits.
• The Safe-T Act (effective July 1, 2021) permitting program sentence credit for certain work assignments and enhanced programming awards for day-for-day credit.
• House Bill 3026 (effective Jan. 1, 2024) allowing specific retroactive work assignments and program sentence credits.

Betts was released to his parents’ home in Quincy without a requirement to reside in a halfway house. He is subject to an ankle monitor for 120 days and must register as a convicted felon in the city where he resides.

Releasing a murderer after only 27 years of a 60-year sentence endangers your community.

I write this letter not only to prevent this man from claiming another life but also to remind citizens of the impact of their votes. The legislature in your state appears lenient on crime. Elections have consequences, whether regarding the governor, state senator, state legislator or even locally elected positions like the state’s attorney or a judge.

Failing to elect people committed to holding criminals accountable puts our communities at risk and has enduring effects on families like mine.

Karie (Folker) Kroll
Burlington, Iowa