Ethan Eugene Dorsey, formerly of Andalusia, was denied parole Wednesday in a case in which he was found guilty of murdering three Escambia County residents.

Dorsey, who is now 45 and is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole, will not be eligible for parole for another five years, the longest delay the parole board could give him. He is serving time in Easterling Correctional Center.

The families Scott Williams, Bryan Crane and Richard Cary, were represented at the parole hearing Wednesday morning. The three were killed during a robbery at a country store in the Brooklyn community in 1996. Following their deaths, two men responsible for the robbery and the deaths were put behind bars.

While Dorsey was eligible for parole, Calvin Middleton is serving life without parole.

Judy Crane, an aunt to 13-year-old Bryan killed in the triple murder incident, said the community has been supportive, as family members gathered petition signatures and letters all in hopes of keeping Dorsey behind bars.

“We have gathered about 2,500 signatures of people who want to keep him (Dorsey) in prison,” Crane said. “We have had about 50 letters written on behalf of the families to the parole board letting them know he needs to stay in prison.”

Crane said the families were overwhelmed with support from the community — even people they don’t know.

“This has really been tough on everybody in the family and we still have some trying times ahead of us,” Crane said. “But, it’s been wonderful to see people step up and write a letter or sign a petition on behalf of our loved ones. We have seen people that we don’t even know who have come in and picked up petitions to take back to their church to gather signatures or just sign one of the petitions we have. It’s been wonderful to see the support from this community.”

Crane said the family has seen no indication that Dorsey regrets what he did.

“He has shown no remorse and has not admitted any guilt in what he did,” Crane said. “It worries me that if he gets out would he be an upstanding citizen in our society. I just don’t think so.”

Crane said she echoed the hopes and prayers of everyone in the family of each of the three killed in the brutal attack nearly 17 years ago.

“I hope they keep him in prison so that he can’t hurt anyone else, every again,” Crane said.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what our families have gone through then and now.”

Dorsey was not represented by an attorney or family members at the hearing.