Bone Idol wrote:
JSA wrote:
oldandslow wrote:
Well, a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 outlawed life terms for minors convicted of murder. Given that this didn't involve murder and the adult co-defendent was sentenced to 30 years, it seems that 241 is a bit out of line (as in "unconstitutional"). Co-defendant plead guilty. Judge (an African-American woman) begged Bostic to plead guilty. Instead, he acted out during the entire trial. He blamed the victims. He took no responsibility and showed no remorse. He showed no signs he was capable of reforming. As a result, he was found guilty of 18 separate counts and was sentenced for each of them.
He chose to put the prosecution to their proof. The right to do so is pretty foundational to the rule of law. If that, and other matters, indicated a lack of contrition then, sure, he might expect a slightly higher sentence (although 30 years is pretty savage as a starting point).
You bet. They had him dead to rights. There was no defense. None. There were multiple witnesses, surveillance cameras, gunpowder marks on his hands, and a confession by his co-defendant. He was given a gift. He chose to flip it the bird. That's his "right." Doesn't mean it was the right thing to do.
Bone Idol wrote:
What happened here is that she added more than 2 centuries to his sentence, to guarantee that he die in jail.
What happened is she sentenced him to each of the 18 counts for which he was found guilty. Perfect within her purview.
Bone Idol wrote:
We're all used to the "lock em up and throw away the key" bleatings from far-right talk-back radio (though not usually addressed at children) but I am astonished that anyone with any legal training would adopt your position.
I'm a former prosecutor. This guy tried to end the life of individuals who were doing charity work, after they had given up their wallets. What on earth would expect from me, to defend him? If I were the prosecutor, I would not have asked for 241 years. If I were the judge, I would not have sentenced him to 241 years. But, the law allows it and I am not going to second guess this judge, even if she wants to second guess herself.
I'm also not going to sit idly by while guys like cerveloguy claim racism when the judge in this case was African-American and was the first black woman to serve on the bench in this circuit. I'm certain he posted this story believing this was some old, white, male, racist judge from Missouri. That's not the case. This sentence was handed out by a well-respected judge with a solid career who just happened to be a black female.
Bone Idol wrote:
As a side wager, I'll bet that the SC agrees to take an appeal, and overrules as unconstitutional. I don't think they'll be overly taxed to see through the "It's not a life sentence, he could get parole when he's 112" argument.
Because of the publicity this case is getting, that very well may happen. If it does, the law will work. It is doesn't, the law will work.
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers
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