SAN JOSE — A man who gained infamy nearly a decade ago when he escaped a San Jose jail while awaiting his robbery trial saw his initial 49-year prison term cut by more than half Thursday, following a second successful appeal and a plea to a Santa Clara County judge to more heavily factor his dramatic personal transformation and his troubled childhood.

Laron Campbell, 35, appeared via video feed in a San Jose courtroom before Judge Daniel Nishigaya, with Campbell’s fiancée and numerous supporters present both in person and also on video. The judge initially sentenced Campbell to 49 years in prison, then in 2023 reduced it to 30 years after Campbell successfully appealed.

Campbell benefited from legislation in the intervening years, aimed at reducing the state’s prison population, that gav

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