Killer up for parole again

A man who was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for murdering two Marion girls will be considered for parole at the end of the month.

Karl Randall Bachman was sentenced for the 1973 murders of Jessica Westphal, 9, and Karen Tyler, 11. Their bodies were found by hunters near Bitterroot Lake more than four years after they disappeared.

Bachman was considered for parole in 1991 and people from the Flathead Valley registered a strong protest against it.

At the time, the parole board denied Bachman because of the nature and severity of the crime and because of "strong objections from the community and criminal justice officials."

The board received letters, telephone calls and petitions opposing Bachman's release, according to Craig Thomas, executive secretary for the parole board.

While it's not uncommon for the public to comment on paroles the board considers, the amount of public response to Bachman was unusual, Thomas said.

Among those who protested was Ted Lympus, the county attorney who prosecuted Bachman. Lympus now is a District Court judge.

In 1991, Bachman had served 13 years of the two life sentences. Lympus said that wasn't "anywhere near appropriate" for release.

Bachman was placed on annual-review status. That means that his progress reports would be reviewed periodically by the board, although full-blown parole hearings are not be conducted every year.

His current parole hearing is Oct. 28 at the state prison.

County Attorney Ed Corrigan intends to attend the hearing and argue against Bachman's release.

Anyone wishing to express an opinion about Bachman's possible parole should write to the parole board at 300 Maryland Ave., Deer Lodge, MT, 59722 or e-mail to corbopp@mt.gov

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com