Kelsey Grammer makes sure sister’s killer remains behind bars

The man convicted of one of the most repugnant crimes in show business history was one more denied his freedom today.

Freddie Glenn, 52, who is now serving life in a Colorado prison for the 1975 rape and murder of actor, Kelsey Grammer’s sister, Karen, was denied an early parole for the crime. The actor was prevented from attending by bad weather, but instead sent a letter that was read to the court.

Addressed to Robert Russel, the now retired Colorado DA who put Glenn behind bars for the crime, the note made it clear that the mental scars from Glenn’s crime are still fresh in the minds of the family. “I am saddened that I missed this opportunity to be at the hearing,” Grammer wrote. “I only hope that it does not result in turning things against my sister or the victims in this case.”

Kelsey, 54, went on to portray his sister as “smart, good and decent,” and explained the depth of the trauma that Glenn’s crime had caused. The actor recalled that, on the night of her murder, the 18-year old Karen was excited about an upcoming visit to Florida to see all her folks.”Instead, she was abducted by a group of animals. She was raped by them, savaged by them, and finally butchered by them.” Grammer wrote. “This is a butcher. This is a monster. Is it possible for him to live on the outside without returning to his old ways?”

And the Grammer family is no stranger to tragedy; In 1971, Kelsey’s father was murdered in the Virgin Islands, and two of his stepbrothers later died in a fluke shark attack. But his sister’s loss causes Kelsey great pain. “She had so much to live for. I miss her. I was her big brother; I was supposed to protect her. It destroyed my Grandmother, who died three years later. My Mother was broken by it, and continues to live with a grief that has colored her remaining years.”

Some would counsel forgiveness and Kelsey has tried, but with little effect; “Forgiveness allows me to live my life. But I can never escape what happened,” he wrote. “I can never accept the notion that he can pay for that nightmare with anything less than his life. We all make choices. He made his. Surely a man who has killed so many must never take a single breath as a free man.”

After a brief deliberation, the Colorado Department of Corrections denied Glenn’s parole. Spokeswoman Katherine Sanguinetti said Glenn won’t now be eligible again until 2014 — when he’ll be almost sixty.

Source: MSNBC