life without parole

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Calif. Synagogue Gunman Hears His Fate

John T. Earnest gets life without parole for killing one person, injuring 3 in 2019 Poway shooting

(Newser) - Before John T. Earnest was sentenced Thursday for fatally gunning down one person and injuring three others, including a young girl, in a 2019 shooting at a Southern California synagogue, his lawyer asked if he could make a statement. The response of San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh in...

For Teen Killers, Iowa Bans Life Without Parole

Court says they should have a chance for rehabilitation

(Newser) - Life without parole is now off the table for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder in Iowa, reports the AP . In a 4-3 ruling Friday, the state Supreme Court says such sentences equal cruel and unusual punishment because predicting young people's "future prospects for maturation and rehabilitation" is impossible...

One of Missouri's Rarest Inmates Has Shot at Freedom

Jeff Mizanskey has been in prison for two decades over non-violent pot offenses

(Newser) - As of this year, Jeff Mizanskey, 62, was two decades into a life sentence "without the possibility of parole" for nonviolent marijuana offenses—something so rare there was no one like him in Missouri and only a handful across the US. Then, after a highly publicized campaign led by...

3.3K US Prisoners Serving Life for Non-Violent Crimes

ACLU report slams 'grotesquely' out of whack sentencing

(Newser) - When you think of criminals who get locked away for life with no hope of parole, murderers or rapists might come to mind. But a guy who shoplifted a $159 jacket? He is one of 3,278 prisoners serving such a sentence in federal or state prisons in the US...

Ariel Castro to Spend Rest of Life in Prison

He accepts plea deal; case will not go to trial

(Newser) - Ariel Castro will spend the rest of his life in prison. The Cleveland man, accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade, has accepted a plea deal, reports the AP . He will plead guilty and be handed a sentence of life without parole plus 1,...

Death Row Inmates Oppose Calif. Execution Ban

Because it would give them less access to paid-for lawyers

(Newser) - Contrary to what you might expect, most inmates on California's death row are against Proposition 34, a measure up for vote next week that would ax the death penalty in favor of life without parole. The Los Angeles Times takes a look at their seemingly surprising stance. Considering the...

Battling the Death Penalty: Two Men Who Fought for It
Battling the Death Penalty:
Two Who Fought for It
'a colossal failure'
Apr 7, 2012 3:31 PM CDT

Battling the Death Penalty: Two Who Fought for It

Ron Briggs and Donald Heller wish they could undo Proposition 7

(Newser) - Californians will soon consider an initiative to repeal the state's death penalty. Two of its biggest backers? The men who successfully championed the expansion of California's death penalty 34 years ago, the New York Times reports. Ron Briggs, now a farmer and Republican county official, ran the campaign...

Supreme Court Axes Life Terms for Juveniles

Kids in nonhomicide crimes must at least get chance at parole

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that teens may not be locked up for life without chance of parole if they have not killed anyone, holding that the Constitution requires that young people serving life sentences must at least be considered for release. The court ruled in the case of...

Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby
 Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby
Sep 9, 2008 2:22 AM CDT

Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby

No parole for woman who shut daughter in microwave

(Newser) - An Ohio mother who burned her month-old baby alive in a microwave oven was sentenced yesterday to life without parole. The jury could not agree on imposing the death penalty, reports the Dayton Daily News. China Arnold, 28, was not present for the emotionally charged hearing, and instead watched the...

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