Posted on 04/14/2008 11:31:07 AM PDT by 300magnum
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court let stand on Monday a sentence of 30 years in prison for a youth who killed his grandparents when he was 12, rejecting his appeal arguing that it was cruel and unusual punishment.
Attorneys for Christopher Pittman said he is the nation's only inmate serving such a harsh sentence for a crime committed at such a young age. Pittman was tried as if he were an adult. The high court declined to hear his appeal without any comment.
In 2005 a jury convicted Pittman of the double murders committed four years earlier when he shot his grandparents with a shotgun as they slept in bed and then set fire to their home in Chester, South Carolina.
He received the minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.
Defense lawyers argued the antidepressant drug he was taking led him to commit the murders. But the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected that argument and others raised by Pittman's attorneys, and upheld his conviction and sentence.
The attorneys then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in challenging the 30-year prison term. "It is the extraordinarily harsh sentence that makes this case significant," they said.
"Punishing young children with excessive sentences violates international norms of human rights and juvenile justice law," they said. "Virtually no other nation in the world subjects young children to such long sentences."
Only eight other states besides South Carolina have laws in which a 12-year-old could be tried as an adult and subjected to a sentence of at least 30 years in prison without possible parole, they said.
Those states are Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
They also cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 2005 that abolished the death penalty for juveniles as providing support for their appeal.
Lawyers for South Carolina opposed Pittman's appeal.
They said the modern trend has been toward increased punishment for violent juvenile offenders. They said the punishment was not excessive, given the circumstances of the crime and Pittman's admitted culpability.
(Editing by Eric Beech)
I note however, that a 12-year-old who kills his grandparents, spends the next 30 years in prison, and who is let out to try to build a life at age 42 is simply a lost cause.
This sentence is stupid. A problem like this should be dealt with more simply.
...which is yet another reason why Hillary or Barack cannot be the one to appoint federal judges for the next 8 years.
His should stay in jail until his grandparents come to bail him out.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
1. I’ll bet the grandparents were raising him;
2. He’ll be out of prison at age 42. He can still lead a long and, if he chooses, productive and healthy life when he is released at a relatively young age for a multiple murderer. That is unusual, to his benefit, and certainly not cruel.
They asked for mercy from the court, being that he’s an orphan and all.....
Ooops, I meant to say grandorphan. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
A nice simple hanging springs to mind.
L
Tough. Jail for life is better.
Is that on the Warning label? Warning: May cause you to murder your grandparents?
Handing out an adult punishment like this...to a twelve year old kid...doesn’t pass the common sense test. I’m willing to consider a 16 year old kid...as an adult...only under the concept that we are trusting him with a car license already. But beyond that...the sentence doesn’t work. Had the kid been seven and done it....would he get the same 30-year sentence? I kinda doubt it. So this South Carolina group....are basically deciding that twelve is adult...so is there any problem with twelve year old kids marrying...without parental consent? Its the same logic. Or how about a twelve year old being allowed to borrow money at the bank and own a house on his own?
Good Point.
Hang him instead.
I think this is the case where the phrase “Zoloft Defence” came from.
I agree. You can’t try a 12-year-old as an adult.
[This sentence is stupid. A problem like this should be dealt with more simply. ]
Yes, I agree... a simple 3 med injection on a gurney would do the trick.
Let me give you a common-sense test: would you be willing to be his next door neighbor? Because anything other than putting him away for a long time means that SOMEBODY would be his next door neighbor
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