Governor commutes life sentence of Clinton man

A Clinton man who shot his wife to death 11 years ago will likely be transferred from a state prison to a veteran’s home, a move that’ll save the state 66-thousand dollars a year.Governor Tom Vilsack has commuted the “life” sentence of Dennis Fredericksen, who had a heart attack shortly after he went to prison and is now a quadriplegic in a vegetative state. The state parole board’s chairman says he’s confident Fredericksen’s not faking. The plan is to transfer Fredericksen to the Veteran’s Home in Marshalltown, as he is a Vietnam vet. The state has spent three times as much money caring for Fredericksen than it would if he’d been in a regular prison cell.