Inmate could be released decades after deadly Decatur attack

Georgia board reviews 1981 murder case

A state board is considering parole and a work-release program for an inmate convicted in a horrific 1981 assault that left one woman dead and another severely beaten in Decatur, according to court records and victim families.  

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A man convicted for his role in a horrific rape and fatal stomping at a Decatur park decades ago could soon be released from prison.

What we know:

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole is reviewing the case of Lapas Favors to determine whether to grant him parole. Favors is currently serving a life sentence for murder, kidnapping and armed robbery.

The charges stem from a violent 1981 assault at Glenn Lake Park in Decatur. Two working mothers, Jean Buice and Bettye Ann Miles, had just finished eating lunch and returned to their car when men grabbed them.

The attackers opened the car doors on both sides, dragged the women into the woods and unleashed a vicious assault.

Buice was raped and murdered during the encounter. The attackers kicked her in the chest so hard that it ripped her heart.

Miles was severely beaten but managed to escape with her life. Her family says the trauma remains so severe that she still does not speak about the attack with them.

A spokesman for the state board confirmed the ongoing case review. The victim's family learned of the development last Sunday after receiving a letter stating Favors was under consideration for a work release program.

What we don't know:

The state board has not announced a final decision or provided a timeline for when the review will conclude. It remains unclear what specific behavior or institutional milestones prompted the review of his life sentence at this time.

The backstory:

The potential release has sparked panic and resistance from the family and the original prosecutor. A family member of Miles, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear for her safety, expressed complete shock over the letter.

"I want Lapas Favors to not be released on parole," the anonymous family member said. "That’s justice. The trial was done. The jurors spoke. The judge sentenced. Let’s honor that."

Bob Wilson, the former DeKalb County district attorney who prosecuted the case, also strongly opposes any release. He stated that the acts were so unspeakable that they place lasting safety concerns on the community and the family.

"The two men who were involved in this, should never be free again," Wilson said.

Favors and another co-defendant, Anthony Wiley, are currently held at the Wheeler Correctional Facility in South Georgia. Wiley is serving a life sentence on charges including murder, kidnapping and aggravated sodomy.

Court records show a third man involved, Rodney Favors, was already released from prison in 1998 after serving nearly 17 years.