By Ashley Keeney Special to The Kansas City Star

 A federal judge ruled Friday that my father, Bryan Sheppard, will soon be released from prison.

My father was one of five defendants convicted in 1997 of the explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters in 1988. He has been serving a life sentence with no chance of parole, but because he was a juvenile at the time of the explosion, he was granted a new hearing to reconsider the appropriate and constitutional sentence.

The judge resentenced my father to 20 years in prison. Because he has served almost 22 years, he soon should go free.

I wish I could say that I feel nothing but joy and relief. But looking across the aisle in the courtroom on Friday, I realized that my father’s release would not only bring happiness to me, but also would bring further suffering to the families of the fallen firefighters.

March3, 2017 By Tony Rizzo, Glenn E. Rice, and Katy Bergen Kansas City Star

The youngest defendant convicted in one of Kansas City’s most infamous crimes will soon be released after serving more than 20 years in prison.

Bryan Sheppard, one of five people convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1988 arson fire explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters, was resentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.

Sheppard, now 45, has already served almost 22 years. His release could come in just a few days, officials said.

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/AP) - March 3, 2017

Feb 15, 2017 By Tony Rizzo Kansas City Star

Feb 15, 2017 KMBC 9 News by Michael Mahoney

A man convicted of setting the fire that led to one of Kansas City's biggest and most deadly explosions wants his prison sentence overturned.

Wednesday in court Bryan Sheppard got the chance to tell a judge why he should be released.

Sheppard is one of five people convicted of setting a shed of explosives on fire at a construction site near 87th Street and U.S. Highway 71 back in 1988. The massive blast that resulted killed six firefighters answering the call.

That fire was so intense you could hardly recognize the destroyed fire rigs.

Feb 14, 2017 Fox 4 News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It’s been more than 28 years since six firefighters were killed in one of the worst explosions ever to rock Kansas City. Wednesday, for the first time, one of the people convicted of their murders could walk out of a courtroom a free man.

A 2012 Supreme Court ruling says juveniles can’t be given life sentences without the possibility of parole without taking certain factors into account. Bryan Sheppard's family maintains he’s innocent, but that’s why they worry he’ll remain in prison.