A Salisbury man convicted of murdering his grandmother in 1987 has been denied parole.
John Silver Murdock, then 31, was convicted in December 1987 of killing his 96-year-old grandmother, Janie Brown Murdock.
Murdock was also convicted of second-degree sex offense. He was found not guilty of rape.
He was sentenced to life in prison. The district attorney’s office asked for the death penalty.
A day before her grandson’s arrest, Janie Murdock was found beaten, strangled and partially naked in her home, according to reports published at the time.
Torn personal checks belonging to Janie Murdock were found at her grandson’s home. John Murdock had a $500 check that belonged to his grandmother, according to court testimony at the time.
The trial lasted five weeks, which at the time made it one of the longest in Rowan County history. Murdock maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
Murdock is scheduled for another custody review in 2015, according to the state Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission.