MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) — Gov. Tony Evers' Commutation Advisory Board heard the cases of 12 people Friday, all of whom are seeking to have their sentences reduced.

Each applicant had roughly 15 minutes to plead their case to a board that will make a recommendation to the governor on whether their sentence should be commuted. During the hearings, victims and victims' family members were also given an opportunity to speak, and not everyone supports the possibility of early release.

More than 800 people have applied for commutations. Six of the 12 people whose cases were heard Friday were convicted of homicide.

The board is made up of judges, faith leaders, former law enforcement officials and people who work with justice-involved individuals.

"My actions were reckless. I put those I cared for in danger, and I recognize that those decisions have affected everyone who loved Andy or Caydence or myself," said Natalie Murphy, who is seeking a commutation of her sentence.

In 2016, Murphy was convicted of shooting and killing her then-boyfriend and the father of her child, Andrew Dammen. She is currently serving 20 years in prison, a sentence Dammen's family wants her to continue serving.

"On the day, we got some relief knowing that justice had been served. However, almost a decade later, now I feel as if my family is being suspended over an ocean of sorrow at the whim of a commutation board," Dammen's brother, Zane Roppe, said.

A statement from Dammen's mother was also read during the hearing. She also asked the board not to recommend Murphy for early release.

Other victims' family members, however, are encouraging the board to commute the sentences of people convicted of killing their loved ones.

"I can never express how sorry I truly am," Daniel Cerney, who is seeking a commutation of his sentence, said. "Every choice and decision I made that day, that night, changed many lives, even my own family's."

Cerney was 16 when he shot and killed William and Evelyn Leis. A member of their family is encouraging the board to give him a second chance.

A statement from Mary Rezin's granddaughter was read during the hearing. Rezin is the daughter and sister of the victims and now has dementia.

Rezin and Cerney took part in the Restorative Justice Project, a program created by the University of Wisconsin Law School. Their story was featured on "60 Minutes" in 2019.

The statement said, in part, that Rezin still believes Cerney is a changed person and should have a second chance at life outside prison because he has a purpose, as all lives do. It also said Rezin has advocated at the state Capitol for changes to laws surrounding juvenile life sentences.

Having an application heard by the board does not mean a person's sentence will be commuted.

The board only makes recommendations. The final decision rests with Gov. Tony Evers.