Plea deal could free man sentenced to life for killing wife

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The family of a woman strangled by her husband nearly three decades ago in Vermont is handling the news that her killer could soon go free. Gregory Fitzgerald had been sentenced to life in prison without parole. But he contended his defense attorney neglected to tell him about a plea deal that would have reduced his sentence back in 1993. The case was settled this month with 35 years to life in prison. He could be released in as little as six to nine months. Victim Amy Fitzgerald was an Gulf War veteran studying at the University of Vermont when she was killed in 1993.