High school teacher who infamously strangled teen girl and confessed when he erroneously thought the victim died in park is walking free years early

Ashley Reeves, Sam Shelton

Ashley Reeves pictured during a 2017 interview with Elizabeth Smart (Crime Watch Daily/YouTube screengrab), Sam Shelton in a mug shot (Illinois Department of Corrections)

A high school teacher in Freeburg, Illinois, who admittedly tried to a strangle a teenage girl in 2006 and confessed when he erroneously thought the victim died is now walking free from state prison.

Samson “Sam” Shelton, who turned 44 years old in March, had been serving a 20-year sentence for the attempted strangulation murder of Ashley Reeves, who was 17 years old at the time of the horrific attack. In the years since, Reeves has spoken publicly about her survival and recovery.

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