Convicted murderer, who has spent nearly 30 years in prison, eligible for parole again

A Whitley County man, who has spent nearly 30 years in state prison for his role in the 1989 murder of a local man, could become a free man later this year.

On July 9, 1990, Alpha Wayne Rose, who was 18 years old at the time, and Johnny Wayne Rice, who was 23 years old at the time, both pleaded guilty to murder and robbery in exchange for sentences of life in prison on the murder charge and 20 years in prison on the robbery charge, according to News Journal archives.