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Sarah Kolb seeks clemency in Adrianne Reynolds murder case

Sarah Kolb was convicted for her role in Adrianne Reynolds' death in 2005. Her petition for a pardoned or reduced sentence will be reviewed next month.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Sarah Kolb is asking the State of Illinois' Prisoner Review Board, and ultimately Go. J.B. Pritzker, for clemency despite a court's 2006 ruling that found her guilty in the death of Adrianne Reynolds. 

In 2006, co-defendant Cory Gregory pleaded guilty, and Sarah Kolb was found guilty of murdering 16-year-old classmate Adrianne Reynolds then burning and dismembering her body. Kolb was sentenced to 53 years in prison, and Gregory was sentenced to 45 years.

RELATED: 17 years after Adrianne Reynolds' death, what's ahead for the case?

The Illinois State Supreme Court ruled in 2019 juveniles given a sentence longer than 40 years is considered a de facto life sentence, meaning the person would spend most - if not all - of his or her life behind bars. In 2020, Kolb's attorney requested a new sentencing hearing after that decision. A judge dismissed the request, saying Kolb is a "cold and callous person who cannot be rehabilitated."

Following his own de facto life sentence appeal, Gregory is scheduled to have another sentencing hearing Wednesday, March 9.

Less than 20 years after the gruesome death of Adrianne Reynolds, Kolb petitioned for clemency.

According to Cornell Law School, clemency requires the U.S. president or a state governor to pardon criminals or commute their sentences. The term itself means "leniency" or "mercy." 

In Kolb's case, her petition was filed with the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the petition will be reviewed to ensure compliance with all of the filing guidelines, according to the Prisoner Review Board.

Kolb's petition was approved to be added to the docket, and according a Prisoner Review Board letter obtained by News 8, Kolb's petition will be placed on the board's April 2022 docket.

Credit: WQAD
Letter from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board announcing Sarah Kolb's petition for Clemency

According to the board's website, it will be reviewed April 12-15. Every complete executive clemency petition that complies with statutory and regulatory procedures must be considered by the board and sent on to the Gov. Pritzker for a decision.

Listen to the "Missing and Murdered in the Midwest" podcast episode dedicated to Reynolds' story here to learn more:

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