A former enforcer in a Springfield gang who ordered the murder of a woman in 1994 in an effort to reach the rank of “chief warlord” has been granted parole from his life sentence, records show.
The state Parole Board on Tuesday granted release to Leyton Burgos, 50, to a halfway house after six months in lower security.
Burgos was a 19-year-old “enforcer” in a Springfield gang in 1994 when he ordered the killing of 22-year-old Sylvia Ramirez, the board’s ruling said.
He was convicted two years later of accessory before the fact to murder, receiving a sentence of life without parole, officials said.
But he became eligible to seek release last year following a ruling from the state’s highest court that struck down life terms without a chance at parole for defendants aged 18 to 20