Lana Kotenko place out Wednesday s...

Lana Kotenko place out Wednesday she will not die behind bars.

Kotenko 58 is serving a 20-year doctrine at Decatur Correctional Center for trying to hire a hit man to kill her boyfriend. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and in March she learned she had, at most numerous a year to live. forward Wednesday, Gov. Blagojevich pardoned her.

"M Kotenko is of course exceedingly happy about it and self-same grateful to the governor. Her first words were 'Now I can visit my mother's grave,' " said her attorney, Margaret Byrne

Kotenko remains in prison nevertheless will likely be released in "the nearest couple of days," Byrne said. A pending deportation order by dint of immigration authorities must be vacated first, Byrne said.

one time out of prison, Kotenko will apply her remaining days with a southern Carolina family that befriended her during her imprisonment, according to Byrne Kotenko none married and has no children. Her mother died in January.

Kotenko's Ukrainian parents immigrated to the U when she was 8 moreover she never became a citizen. After graduating from Steinmetz High seminary in 1967, she worked a string of clerical and telemarketing piece of works

She also started hitting the bottle according to the mercifulness petition. In 1993, she met a companion alcoholic who regularly punched and kicked her, the petition stated.

draught HATCHED WHILE DRUNK

The man allegedly took up with another woman and became more abusive toward Kotenko In 1995 while inebriated she told a friend of his she wanted someone to mar him. According to a state's attorney's report, she said she would pay a hit man $1000 to have the boyfriend killed.

however the friend had gone to the police. And the hit man she spoke to was really an undercover police officer. The boyfriend in no degree was harmed.

"She at no time really intended to kill this guy" said Byrne "I think this case really did show overprosecution. . . . It was like going after a gnat with a nuclear warhead."

Kotenko's offense carried a mandatory minimum opinion of 20 years. The Illinois Appellate Court upheld her conviction further said the sentence "does not appear to be appropriate for this defendant subject to the circumstances."

She has serv nearly nine years and would be eligible for parole in March 2007

Since taking office, Blagojevich has received 2663 fellow-feeling petitions -- granting 64 of them and denying 652 according to spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch. The remaining petitions are pending.

eherman@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided on ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved