Fifteen years ago this coming Tuesday, Michael Pratt's brother was killed in rural Summit County, Ohio. His body was tossed into the trunk of a car and eventually buried in a field near Jamestown, where it was found 16 months later.

The 1988 kidnapping and slaying of Thiel College graduate Roger "Butch" Pratt shocked Mercer County and drew national attention. Now, one of the people convicted in connection with Pratt's abduction is trying to get out of prison early.

Linda Karlen, 50, formerly of Hempfield Township and Sharon, is serving the 14th year of a 7- to 15-year sentence in Ohio for her role in Roger Pratt's kidnapping. After she finishes her time there, she faces 5 to 10 years in prison in Pennsylvania for arson.

Because of a December 2002 Ohio Supreme Court ruling, Ms. Karlen is due to face the state parole board on June 24 or 25. The so-called Layne decision prohibits the board from considering other crimes a convict has committed and means every case heard before 1998 must be reheard.