O.C. Murderer to be Released From Prison - WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 -

02/08/2008 9 AM ET

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP)- A man sentenced to a 15-year term for killing a teenager in 1995 is scheduled to be released from prison on Friday, more than three years early, because of good behavior and education credits.

Jermaine Wright of Salisbury entered an Alford plea in 2001 in the slaying of Krista Ruggles, 16, of Ducansville, Pa. Ruggles was found strangled in Whaleyville.

In 1999, Wright was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years.

Wright, then 24, had been convicted the month before in Worcester County Circuit Court of first-degree murder, sodomy, robbery and assault and battery.

That conviction was overturned the following year by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals because jurors had seen newspaper articles about alleged attacks on other women.

In 2001, prosecutors agreed to an Alford plea in which Wright maintained his innocence, but admitted that the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him.

Wright was sentenced to 30 years, with 15 years suspended, and credit for time served. He earned 1,283 days off his sentence for good conduct, taking educational classes and participating in prison activities at Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover. He will be on probation until 2012.

Wright also must take part in a sexual offender treatment program upon his release.

Inmates earn credits for a variety of things, including good behavior and job credits, according to Mark Vernarelli, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

"That's not our policy, that's the law. We have to go by what the law says," Vernarelli said.

After she was killed, Krista's father, Larry Ruggles, began making presentations at schools, urging youngsters to be wary of strangers.

Sgt. Mike McDermott of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, who worked with state police in 1995 on the Ruggles case, said, "The guy scares me, he really does. He's a guy who, based on past behavior, bears watching."

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis says they will keep an eye on Wright.  Lewis said, "He (Wright) better be walking a fine line.  I mean that.  We will except no excuses".  Neither will Krista's family they say it's only a matter of time before Wright is back in the system.  Larry Ruggles says, "There's too many loopholes in the system.  It keeps people like him (Wright) falling through the cracks... this is going to happen again".

The Ruggles family says they want all families to learn a lesson from this tragic case.  Ruggles advises all parents, "That no matter what age or what you teach your kids.  They go out and have fun and they're not properly supervised... bad things an happen to good kids. It can happen to anyone."