Kelsey Grammer has been a well-known name in Hollywood for several decades, but a lot of people might not know that he suffered a tragic loss in 1975 when his sister, Karen, was brutally raped and murdered. The actor spoke with the man responsible for taking his sister’s life on Tuesday, and while he says he can forgive him now, he can’t give his blessing for parole.

Freddie Glenn says he was too young at the time of the murder–he was 18–to stand up to the others in his crowd who helped orchestrate the kidnapping, rape and stabbing murder of Karen from the Red Lobster where she was employed. After initially being sentenced to death, Glenn was given a life term and is now seeking parole, saying he is a much different person than he was back then. He also says he was scared for his own life, as it was threatened if he didn’t go along with the plan.

“I thought I would die. I thought I would be killed. I think I deserve a second chance,” he said.

Glenn is also serving time for two other murders, and says he has tried to contact Grammer in the past to offer an apology but was unable to.

“I accept your apology. I forgive you. However, I cannot give your release my endorsement. To give that a blessing would be a betrayal of my sister’s life,” Grammer said.

Grammer, who was just 20 years old at the time of Karen’s murder, says that to allow Glenn to be freed from prison would be a betrayal to her and to her memory. The parole board denied Glenn’s request, but he will have another chance in three years.

“She was a terrific kid. She was a wonderful person and I miss her all the time,” he said.

Image via Wikimedia Commons