17 and 14....can’t fry either of them.However,it’s my understanding that child murderers tend to do very poorly in prison.
You are correct.
The USSC ruled that a convicted defendant must be 18 at the time of the offense before he or she (or it) may be given the death penalty.
Personally, I think that is BS. The issue of punishment should largely be in the discretion of the jury and/or judge, and based on numerous factors, including the callousness of the crime.
Maybe a minimum of 16 years for the DP would be more appropriate. They either know right from wrong by that age or they never will.
But guess what else?
J. Kagan, writing for a 5-4 Court, ruled last year that giving minors life w/o parole is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the 8th Amendment.
So, these lil’ darlins cannot even be sentenced to life w/o the possibility of parole! I understand that they can end up doing life based on the conviction, but the sentence is subject to mandatory periodic review.