ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley commuted two life sentences on Thursday, the first time the governor has reduced the sentences of inmates. O’Malley commuted Mark Farley Grant’s sentence to a term of life with all but 45 years suspended and Tamara Settles to a term of life with all but 40 years suspended. Grant was sentenced to life in prison in 1984, when he was 14 years old, following a felony murder conviction in Baltimore. Settles has served 27 years in prison since a 1984 felony murder conviction after her boyfriend killed a man in Hyattsville. Both Grant and Settles are eligible for parole immediately, but the parole commission will determine when to release them. – Ben Giles
