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Saturday, May 27, 2017

Federal judge tosses life sentences for convicted beltway sniper Lee Boyd Malvo

The life sentences that Lee Boyd Malvo received for his role in the 2002 sniper shootings which occurred in Virginia were thrown out Friday by a federal judge, because Malvo was 17 at the time of the attacks.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole were unconstitutional for juveniles, and in 2016 the court decided that ruling should be applied retroactively. And so even though Malvo entered pleas in Spotsylvania County, Va., and agreed to serve two life sentences without parole, in addition to being convicted by a jury and sentenced to two life sentences in Chesapeake, Va., U.S. District Court Judge Raymond A. Jackson vacated all four sentences and ordered resentencings.

The ruling does not apply to the six life sentences Malvo received in Maryland after he pleaded guilty to six murder charges there. His Maryland lawyers are appealing in both state and federal court on the same grounds, and a hearing is set for next month.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

More Judicial Activism where a judge decides the fate of millions of Americans who will be forced to continue supporting this man's life when he took so many without regard. No doubt this will be appealed. Fact is, he should've died years ago but our appeal system continues to let death row inmates have chances to avoid paying their debt to society. Why is this acceptable to you?

Anonymous said...

Who is paying for all these lawyers?

Anonymous said...

Death penalty is Constitutional.

Anonymous said...

He was never on death row.

Anonymous said...

That is just VA. His MD life sentences are still in place. This is a waste of money just like trying to go to trial on that Watson idiot that escaped. He is already serving 100+ years in DE.

Anonymous said...

No matter what his age he knew what he was doing and did it over and over. If he gets out his name will be in the headlines again maybe next with Isis.

Anonymous said...

Is he a part of intelligence?

Anonymous said...

He was about a month shy of his 18th birthday. He knew what he was doing. He committed most of the murders, KNOWING it was wrong. John Allen williams was executed about 2 years ago for driving the car. I'm for the death penalty.