news-record.com

GREENSBORO – A man convicted of second-degree murder in the death of an elderly Greensboro woman in 1977 has been granted parole, according to the state.

Tony Len Cox, 47, was approved for parole April 1 after 31 years in prison for the death of 86-year-old Lola Hunt, according to a letter from the N.C. Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission.

According to news accounts, Cox, who was 16 at the time, beat Hunt to death on Aug. 12, 1977 with a flower vase inside her home at 4009 Beckford Drive.

Cox was originally charged with first-degree murder in the case, but he pled guilty to second-degree murder to avoid facing the death penalty.

In an April 4, 1978 Greensboro Record story about his sentencing, Cox said in a statement that he was cutting through Hunt’s backyard as she drove up to her house.

He helped her carry in a bag and asked for a glass of water. He then used her telephone before striking her in the head with a flower vase.

Cox said he rummaged through the woman’s purse and took $23 before continuing to beat the woman across the head because “she just wouldn’t pass out.”

He then stole the woman’s car, which was recovered on High Point Road.

Under the state’s current sentencing law, structured sentencing, the state does not allow parole for crimes committed on or after Oct. 1, 1994.

However, the state has the responsibility of paroling offenders who were sentenced under previous sentencing guidelines.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com