A former Clarkston woman convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme in 1989 should remain in prison, according to the Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board.

At a hearing conducted earlier this month in Olympia, the board voted 4-1 to deny Susan Kroll’s clemency. She was found guilty of the contract murder of her husband, Victor Kroll, who was killed May 17, 1989, in his backyard workshop.

However, the man who stabbed Kroll in the neck should be pardoned, the board determined in a 4-1 ruling. Kyle Johnson, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Kroll case, was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 1990 at the age of 21.

Gov. Jay Inslee will have the final say on the board’s recommendations.

Susan Kroll, who was 32 at the time of the murder, was convicted of hiring two young men, Johnson and James A. DeMean, to kill her husband. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole for first-degree aggravated murder.

DeMean was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months at the age of 18. He served his time after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Kroll.

The former Clarkston resident, who is now in her mid-to-late 60s, offered Johnson and Demean $5,000 for killing her husband.

According to previous news reports, the killing was exceptionally grisly. Kroll’s husband was stabbed, his jaw was broken with a crowbar, and his throat was cut.

DeMean told the Court he was intoxicated the night Victor Kroll died, and when he realized the Clarkston man was being killed by Johnson, he ran out of Kroll’s workshop.

When making its recommendation, the board considers the impact of the crime on the victims, survivors of victims, witnesses to the crime and the community. The governor is not bound to follow the recommendation or take any action on the petition. However, the governor will take the recommendation under advisement when making the final decision.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com. You can follow her on X @newsfromkerri.