Leelanau County Sheriffs say a Suttons Bay man convicted of murder and rape in separate incidents was released from prison in Jackson Thursday. Wayne Frank Porter, 63, has served his sentence and will not be on parole so the Michigan Department of Corrections will not have supervision of him.

Porter was 21 in December 1971 when he pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the strangulation death of Barbara Belfour, 43, whose body was found behind her home on Valentine's Day 1971. Porter went to high school with Belfour's children and was home on leave from the Army at the time of the homicide. Michigan State Police located Porter in Montreal, Quebec Canada and brought him back to Leelanau County several weeks after the murder. Porter was AWOL when located in Canada. He had served two tours in Vietnam and was seriously wounded in combat.

Porter was sentenced to 12 to 25 years in prison and released in March 1979 when he returned to Suttons Bay. Subsequently he was arrested and convicted in the sexual assault and attempted murder of a 16-year-old girl. In April 1980 he was sentenced to 60 to 90 years in prison. He served more than 33 years of the sentence before his release. Porter will be required by law to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life with the state. It is believed that he will reside with a relative in Traverse City.

Porter's "offender profile" shows an Earliest Release Date of October 31, 2026 but a Maximum Discharge Date of November 7, 2013. It is possible that Porter was given extra good time by Michigan Department of Corrections officials in order for him to be released early to avoid excessive medical costs the state is incurring as a result of his treatment for an undisclosed illness. He has reportedly loss nearly 100 lbs. as a result health issues.