HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A man who tortured and murdered a woman at a Huntsville motel in 1983 is once again eligible for release from prison.
Phillip Musgrove, who was born in 1953, was initially sentenced to death for the killing of Deborah Lynn Burks, whom he had dated over a period of several months.
Musgrove brought Burks to the Frank Ann Motel, where he had rented a room, after repeatedly asking her to come there on her own.
Burks was found naked, bound and gagged, in a shower stall at the motel. Her body showed cuts, stab wounds, and other signs of torture.
Musgrove was arrested in Montgomery in connection with the crime. In court, prosecutors detailed a "series of grisly acts" leading up to the murder.
They sought the death penalty, which was handed down in sentencing.
However, a series of appeals led to an eventual reduction in sentence, and Musgrove has been behind bars in Alabama for more than 40 years. Records show he was denied parole in his last appearance before the board, in 2022.
Musgrove is currently at the Hamilton Community Work Center, where he is permitted off-site work assignments.
His appearance is one of 68 parole hearings and 31 pardon hearings scheduled for next week.
