Johnson v. State

Ijln 1997, appellant Willis Ward Johnson entered a negotiated plea of guilty in the Pulaski County Circuit Court to first-degree murder and aggravated assault, and he was sentenced to serve an aggregate term of 552 months’ imprisonment. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated section 16-93-611 (Supp. 1995) (repealed by Act 570 of 2011), as in effect when appellant committed the offenses, a person who is found guilty of first-degree murder is not eligible for parole until he serves seventy percent (70%) of his sentence.

In 1999, the Arkansas General Assembly amended section 16-93-611 to allow the…