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Mich. Governor: Returning Fugitive Not A Priority

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says a request by Arkansas to return a 63-year-old fugitive isn't his "highest priority."

The Republican governor said Thursday that convicted killer Lester Stiggers is in poor health, is older and has caused no trouble since fleeing to Michigan 43 years ago.

Arkansas wants Stiggers back.

Stiggers was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his father as a teenager in 1965. When he was granted a five-day leave from prison for good behavior, he headed to Michigan and has been there ever since.

Then-Michigan Gov. William Milliken refused to send Stiggers back because of an Arkansas prison system known at the time for brutality and horrific conditions.