MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Martinsburg man convicted of strangling a 72-year-old woman at her Martinsburg home in 2014 was sentenced to life in prison yesterday, but William Jackson, 40, is expected to be eligible for parole after just 20 years behind bars.
Jackson pleaded guilty in July to one count of murder and four counts of fraudulent use of an access device in the slaying of Martha Tyler.
Attorneys tell the Herald Mail that Jackson will begin serving 15 years of the life sentence in prison and five-year terms imposed for the fraudulent-use convictions after serving a separate sentence of two to 25 years in a drug-related case in Morgan County.
The judge recommended that the West Virginia Division of Corrections provide any drug treatment that is available to Jackson, who has said he was high on drugs at the time of the homicide.
The plea agreement allows Jackson the opportunity for parole after serving 15 years.
Tyler was found dead March 8, 2014, at her home on Picture Mountain Drive with a bag over her head and her hands bound.