SUNBURY, Pa. -- A man who was sent to prison for murder as a teenager has been resentenced to time served.
A judge in Northumberland County resentenced Norman Gundrum Thursday morning to time served and made him immediately eligible for parole.
Gundrum and his attorney were emotional as the sentence was read.
Gundrum was 16 when he stabbed Bobby Coup to death in Milton back in 1993. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced as an adult to life in prison without parole.
Now, at age 42, Gundrun has been resentenced under a Post-conviction Relief Act appeal which allows those who committed murders as teenagers a chance to seek parole or a new sentence.
The two-day hearing started Wednesday when Gundrum testified about the sexual abuse he endured as a child and leading up to the murder of Coup.
Judge Paige Rosini said she had a statement from the victim's mother supporting Gundrum's release.
The judge said she is impressed that Gundrum took steps to better himself while in prison. his attorney believes he will do well once released.
"He has a place to go. He has friends. He's going to be fine. It's going to be different, it's a whole big world," said defense attorney Joseph D'andrea.
"I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused everybody," Gundrum said. "I promise to always do my best, make everybody proud."
"It's going to be a big adjustment, we all know that, But we're excited to take that journey with him," said Glenda Richards, Gundrum's cousin who was 14 at the time of the murder.
"My daughter has never gotten a chance to see him outside of where he was. Right now, it gives everyone a new hope, it's a hope we never thought we would see."
"He got his GED degree. He went and got two associates degrees. He's set up charitable foundations while in jail. He did all this without ever knowing he'd see the light of day," D'Andrea said.
Gundrum says he will live with a longtime friend in the Lewisburg area and hopes to go into construction. His attorney believes Gundrum will be released from prison by the end of this year.