Fort Dodge, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 56-year-old William Harrison Barbee, who was serving a life sentence for 1st Degree Kidnapping out of Woodbury County, and other charges from Lee County, died Saturday, at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. His death was the result of an unexpected medical emergency. An autopsy will be conducted by the State Medical Examiner to determine cause of death. Foul play is not suspected.

Barbee, of Sioux City, was 17 when he kidnapped a woman at knifepoint from the parking lot of a grocery store. He pleaded guilty to kidnapping, attempted murder and theft and was sentenced to life in prison in 1983. Barbee is one of seven inmates resentenced in 2012 to life with the possibility of parole, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sentencing a juvenile to die in prison is cruel and unusual punishment. Barbee was scheduled to appear before the Iowa Board of Parole on July 27th. The board had denied Barbee early release after previous reviews.

Barbee’s sentence began on November 23, 1983.