KENOSHA COUNTY — A Kenosha man who received back-to-back life sentences for killing two men in the 1980s has been released from prison on parole, leaving some of the victims' family members shocked and demanding answers about why they weren't notified.
Spriggie Hensley, now in his 60s, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder as a party to a crime for the 1986 deaths of John Ekornaas and Steven Kinney at a Pleasant Prairie gas station. He was sentenced to two life sentences plus 10 years, all to be served consecutively.
"My father and my uncle looked at me and looked me in the eye and said, Honey, you don't have to worry about them. They're never getting out," said Danielle Ekornaas, John's sister.
Ekornaas was just 12 years old when her brother was murdered. She learned of Hensley's release last month through social media, not from state officials.
"Notify me, tell the family. Let us know if something has changed. Don't let me find out on Facebook," Ekornaas said.
The 1986 murders
On New Year's Eve 1986, police responded to a gas station fire in Pleasant Prairie. Inside the smoky building, they discovered two bodies in the rear corner.
The victims, John Ekornaas and his cousin Steven Kinney, had been murdered over drug money. According to Danielle Ekornaas, the attackers beat her brother, and when they thought he was dead, but he was still breathing, they poured gasoline on him, set him on fire, and locked the doors.
Hensley, who was 21 at the time, was arrested alongside an accomplice and later convicted.
Watch: Victim’s family furious after Kenosha man given back-to-back life sentences for double murder is released
Parole eligibility under old laws
The parole decision was made possible due to state laws that were in effect when the crimes occurred, according to criminal defense attorney Patrick Cafferty.
"So basically back then, if someone got life, they were going to serve at least about 13.5 years before they were eligible for parole, but they most certainly would be eligible, and then a parole board would make the determination," Cafferty said.
The law changed on Jan. 1, 2000, to a system called Truth in Sentencing, where judges determine eligibility for extended supervision and can set dates so far out that life sentences become actual life sentences.
State's response
The state's Parole Review Commission said in a statement that "registered victims were involved in this process and were notified of the parole grant prior to release."
The statement noted that Hensley became eligible for parole in 2021 and had satisfied all five requirements for a parole grant.
Danielle Ekornaas said she wasn't listed as a "registered victim" and that only an estranged family member was notified.
Hensley speaks out
When contacted at his listed address, Hensley agreed to speak about his release.
"Oh, no. No. No, I mean, when you're given that sort of a sentence, you just assume that's it," Hensley said when asked if he anticipated being set free.
He expressed sympathy for the families affected by his crimes.
"For almost 40 years I've walked around wishing there was something I could do or say, but I don't know what you can say that would do anything but aggravate," Hensley said.
Family demands justice
Danielle Ekornaas remains adamant that Hensley should not have been released.
"You are wrong. You were wrong," she said of the parole board's decision. "He should not have gotten out. It's unbelievable."
"If my brother cannot enjoy his freedoms, neither should he," Ekornaas said.
She questions whether anyone sentenced to back-to-back life sentences should have the possibility of parole.
"No. No. Especially for a double homicide. Two murders. Two lives were taken," Ekornaas said.
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