The Tennesean is reporting today (8/8) that John A. Brown, convicted for the murder of Dave Akeman (a.k.a. Stringbean) and his wife Estelle, has been denied parole by the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.

A spokeswoman said this morning that John A. Brown, 57, will not be released after receiving four consecutive “no” votes. He has been recommended for another review in 2011.

Two board members, including chairman Charles Traughber, voted in favor of Brown’s release at a July hearing. The votes prompted an outcry against Brown from former stars of the Opry and fans, who petitioned the four board members who still had to cast their vote.

Read the full piece by Kate Howard online.

That piece prompted a note from Sandy Rothman, a prominent west coast picker and former Blue Grass Boy, suggesting that we share a bit more information about how String’s many fans and friends could become involved in helping to thwart Brown’s release.

Specifically, Sandy suggests that letters sent to the Parole Board might help sway the two remaining votes on the parole application.

“Letters may influence these board members who have not heard from people who remember String and know his history, not only as a country music entertainer but as the first banjo picker in Bill Monroe’s band.”

Communication can be sent to:

He was senselessly murdered on Nov. 10, 1973 along with his wife, Estelle, when they returned from a Grand Ole Opry show to find intruders lying in wait for them in their home. The bodies were discovered by close friend and fellow Opry star, Grandpa Jones.

John A. Brown and his cousin, the late Doug Marvin Brown, were convicted of their murders and sentenced to 198 years in prison, but it seems Brown may be on his way home from prison in the near future.

The piece in The Tenessean by Kate Howard tells the tale…

As country music changed and Nashville generations passed, the fame of slain Hee Haw star Dave “Stringbean” Akeman faded.

This week, the state parole board heard all the reasons why the man who shot Akeman and his wife deserves a second chance, 34 years later. About a half-dozen spoke on behalf of convicted killer John A. Brown.

But the killer’s name didn’t ring a bell with anyone in the district attorney’s office when the possibility of Brown’s freedom came up. Most of the loved ones who spoke up in the past, Opry legends Roy Acuff and Porter Wagoner among them, have passed on. They had no children. And the friends who remain were never told a hearing was coming.

So, nobody stood to talk about the lasting impact of the day an unassuming country star named Stringbean was killed for his money, and his wife was silenced with a bullet while she begged for her life.

According to Howard, there are two parole board members who have yet to vote on this matter, and Brown will be freed should they vote in favor. You can read the full piece on the Tennessean site.

Here is a YouTube clip of String (as he was known to his many friends) appearing on television in 1971 on the Del Reeves Country Carnival show.