Idaho Convict will Stay in Prison After 44 Years

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho inmate locked up for most of the last 44 years will stay that way, after Idaho parole officials decided the convicted killer who played a key role in a notorious 1971 prison riot should remain behind bars.

Ronald Lee Macik, with inmate No. 12680, the lowest number in the Idaho prison system, lost out this week when the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole decided his chances of successfully moving back into society were slim.

Macik has violated four previous paroles. Incarcerated originally for robbery, Macik's role in inmate William Henry Butler's slaying during the 1971 riot — he pleaded guilty to murder — helped galvanize public sentiment behind shuttering the Idaho Territory-era penitentiary. In addition to losing his parole bid, Macik's separate appeal for a new trial was denied Tuesday.