Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Sixth Circuit Court re-sentenced James Gostlin to life in prison without parole for the 1962 murder of 11-year-old Shirley Husted in Oakland County.

That was in accordance with the Michigan Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life without parole sentences are unconstitutional for defendants who were 20 years or younger at the time of their crime.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office says Gostlin was 20-years-old in 1962 when he attacked Wesley Husted with a hammer and attempted to steal his car. When Shirley Husted went to aid her father, Gostlin killed her with the hammer. He then kidnapped and sexually assaulted Shirley Husted’s mother.

Gostlin is now 83-years-old and incarcerated at the Lakeland Correctional Facility.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said “My heart is with Shirley Husted today. She was just 11 when she was taken from her family. This process has forced her loved ones to relive this horrific tragedy, and their pain should never be forgotten.”

Consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office says it is reviewing all life without parole sentences for offenders who were 20 years or younger and only asking courts to consider life sentences in “the most egregious cases”.