Local

FBI puts up billboards of Shelby-born man on the run for 45 years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There is a new push to find a convicted murderer born in Shelby who has been on the run for 45 years.

The FBI is now putting up billboards in several states, including North Carolina, looking for Leonard Moses.

During the Pittsburgh riots in 1968, Moses, who was 15 at the time, and some friends threw Molotov cocktails at a home, killing a woman inside.

A jury found Moses guilty of murder and he was sentenced to life in prison, but investigators said he managed to escape while attending his grandmother's funeral in 1971.

Channel 9 has learned that if Moses is found, he may not serve a life sentence because during his time on the run the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined he deserved a new trial.

Also, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sentencing a teenager to life in prison without parole is cruel and unusual punishment.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: