A man who had been serving a lengthy prison sentence for a 1998 murder in Hall County has died while in state custody.
Officials with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services say Greg Carlson, age 69, died Tuesday at a hospital in Omaha. Authorities report he had been receiving medical treatment at the time of his death.
Court records show Carlson was sentenced in November of 1999 after pleading no contest to second-degree murder in the death of his estranged wife, Marilyn Carlson. She was found dead in her apartment in April of 1998 after suffering a fatal stab wound to the chest.
Carlson initially pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge but later changed his plea prior to trial. As part of the agreement, he accepted the lesser charge and a recommended life sentence. He later attempted to withdraw that plea, but a district judge denied the request and sentenced him to 60 years to life in prison.
Carlson appealed the decision to the Nebraska Supreme Court, but the court upheld the original ruling, determining that the district court acted within its authority.
At the time of his death, Carlson was serving his sentence at the Omaha Correctional Center.
State officials say a grand jury investigation will be conducted, which is standard procedure whenever an inmate dies while in custody.
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