Judge Suspends Life Sentence For Father Convicted Of Murdering Daughter

Gan Matthews, News 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Jonathan Trask still stands convicted of the murder of his daughter, Mackensie, but he is no longer serving a life sentence.

Thursday, Cleveland County District Judge Tom Lucas suspended all but the first seventeen years of Trask's sentence. That means Trask could be eligible for parole in twelve years. Lucas said he was suspending the sentence because of the ambiguity of the evidence, the support Trask has received from family and friends and the course work Trask has taken in prison.

"I'm beyond disappointed," said District Attorney Greg Mashburn. "[The jury] said life in prison, and a judge substitutes his own judgment and says 'No, a baby death is only worth seventeen years.'"

Jonathon Trask is currently incarcerated in Missouri. He was convicted of killing the six-month old baby girl in December 2008. The child's mother, Heather Trask, was tried separately for murder. A jury found her not guilty.