A reader offers a coorection/clarification:

Jonah,
I heard that story about Wilbert Rideau on NPR yesterday, too. I got
the impression from the NPR story that he had killed three people.
According to your post that’s what you thought also. However, according
to WP he shot and wounded three people. He then chased one of them down
and killed her with a hunting knife. The other two victims survived.
That’s is a slightly different story but it still adds up to murder to
me. Lots of people get life in prison and are later paroled. This is
annoying to most people. To make the case that Wilbert Rideau deserved
parole because of 41 years of rehabilitation is somewhat defensible
(although wrong, I think.) However, to say that what he did wasn’t
murder is ridiculous.
All this proves an interesting point. The best thing any inmate could
do for themselves, especially if they are a minority, is learn to write.
Just like the murderous Mumia, if an inmate can write, they become a
hero to liberal celebrities especially writers. One can be a good
writer and still be an evil, murderous creep.