PHOENIX — A man convicted of killing two young girls in 1967 and released to home arrest in 2015 is back in prison after violating his parole, according to authorities.
Phoenix TV station KPHO reports William Huff's parole officer found an 8-year-old girl sleeping at Huff's Tucson residence this week, in violation of his parole.
Arizona Department of Corrections officials told KPHO that the child is the daughter of Huff's girlfriend, but there's no indication the girl was hurt in any way.
The state Board of Executive Clemency will decide whether Huff, 67, will remain behind bars.
It was unclear Sunday if Huff has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Court records show Huff was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the murders of 6-year-old Janelle Haines and 7-year-old Cindy Clelland in Sierra Vista.
Clelland's body was found in the desert in early May 1967 a few days after she disappeared and authorities said she had been strangled and mutilated. The following month, Haines was found dead on Fort Huachuca and authorities said she was naked and had been bashed in the head with a rock.
The clemency board released Huff to home arrest in December 2015, saying he had a clean record while in prison for nearly 50 years.
"I hate to say I told you so, but this is where 'I told you so' falls into play,'" Melisa Haines, a relative of Janelle Haines, told KPHO. "To hear that it involved another little girl is something that is gut-wrenching.
"It's not something that I'm happy he's in prison for, because it involved a little girl. But I am happy that he's in prison because I believe that that's where he belongs."
