A Leesburg man convicted of murder in 2003 recently saw his sentence modified.
Jason Paul Davidson, now 39, was convicted of the murder of Samuel Creekmore in October 2003, and was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the crime.
On Dec. 1, Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed signed an order modifying the charge from murder to voluntary manslaughter committed by means of a deadly weapon. Davidson's sentence also was reduced to 30 years in prison.Davidson will remain in the Indiana Department of Correction Pendleton facility or he will be placed at the Correctional Industrial Facility so he may continue his education through Ball State University.
According to the order, "the conviction will be entered effective on the date of the original murder conviction, Oct. 7, 2003, and the defendant shall receive credit for all time he has served between his arrest and the date of this order."
Davidson shot Creekmore several times in the head and torso on May 2, 2002, at Creekmore's home on Bluebird Drive in Melody Acres. Creekmore was married to Davidson's ex-wife, Alicia Davidson, and living with her in the home Davidson formerly resided in with his wife.
Davidson was found guilty of the murder by a jury in 2003, and the conviction was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals April 13, 2006, due to a dispute over the final instructions given to the jury during the trial. However, when the Indiana State Supreme Court reviewed the case, the guilty verdict was upheld.
