Michigan juveniles convicted in adult courts have the right to let a jury decide sentences when they face the possibility of a life sentence with no possibility of parole, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.
The appellate court’s 2-1 ruling came in a case involving the conviction of a Yale woman for first-degree murder in the death of his father. The defendant was 17 at the time. The majority ruled that when offenders were 17 years old or younger, juries should only hand out life-without-parole sentences when there is no reasonable doubt that the offense demonstrates “irreparable corruption.”
You can read a Detroit Free Press article on the ruling here.
