What did Amy Lee Black do? Juvenile sentenced to life in prison for killing Muskegon County man to be granted parole

A correctional spokesperson announced on Monday, August 8, that Amy Lee Black from Western Michigan, who was sentenced to life in prison when she was 16, will be released from custody next month on parole after 32 years.

According to Chris Gautz of the Michigan Department of Corrections, Amy Lee Black, 47, who was found guilty of murdering a Muskegon County man, Dave VanBogelen, in 1990, will be released from the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in the first week of September.

Gautz said in a statement:

“She was a juvenile lifer and her crime occurred in 1990 so it predates the state’s Truth in Sentencing law, so she would have been eligible for disciplinary credit or a good time. She was resentenced in August of last year and because of good time credits she became immediately eligible for parole.”

Reportedly, in 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that life sentences for adolescents constituted cruel and unusual punishment, leading to a reduction in her sentence. In August 2021, she was given a sentence ranging from 35 to 60 years.

Gautz further added:

"Between last August and now, she was denied once and deferred twice before being granted parole."

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Amy Lee Black allegedly regretted her deed during her first sentencing

In connection with the murder of VanBogelen, on December 7, 1990, Black and her 50-year-old partner Jeffrey Abrahamson were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery.

VanBogelen was beaten, stabbed, and dumped in Fruitport Township on a country road. According to court documents, Black and Abrahamson also robbed $1,500 from the man. Both were given a life sentence without the possibility of release.

Black said during the hearing:

“There is nothing that I can do to undo the things that I’ve done. There is no forgiveness that I can ask for, and there is none I can expect."

Based on court records, Amy Lee Black was mandated to make restitution payments of $1.87 million to the victim or the victim's estate. At a hearing on July 29, 2022, Muskegon County Circuit Judge William C. Marietti issued the restitution decision.

Amy Lee Black's impending release from prison was first made known to the VanBogelen family during the July 29 court session held by video conference.

The victim's wife, Barb VanBogelen, told multiple sources that no agency has yet notified her family of Black's release.

She said:

“We found out by her sitting there with her smug face and blurting it out in court. I am livid at this whole justice system. It has failed my family miserably. She doesn’t deserve to be out...she is a cold-blooded killer.”

When the judge read out the revised sentence, a few family members of VanBogelen left the courtroom. While Black was speaking, some people covered their ears and turned away.