Jack Lopinson, convicted 22 years ago of hiring a hit man to murder his wife and business partner in one of the most sensational crimes in Philadelphia history, is trying for the fourth time to have his life sentence commuted to parole.
Lopinson, a restaurateur, was 27 in 1964 when he hired Frank "Birdman" Phelan for $10,000 to murder his wife, Judith, and business partner, Joseph Malito. Lopinson, 50, is still behind bars.
Lopinson tried unsuccessfully to have his two concurrent life sentences commuted to life on parole in 1977, 1978 and 1980. Each time, his plea was rejected by the state Board of Pardons, said board secretary David S. Bayne.
