As a trial lawyer and former prosecutor, I always seek justice and fairness during sentencing hearings. When defending an individual, I argue the merits of a sentence based on the specifics that relate to that person. Everyone is unique in what brings them before the criminal justice system and how the court should sentence them. On Tuesday, the U. S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Henry Montgomery, a Louisiana man with a low IQ of 70, who was convicted as a juvenile for killing a police officer and sentenced to the death penalty almost 50 years ago. His death penalty sentence was overturned in 1969. And he was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Montgomery’s case comes before the U.S. Supreme Court following a 2012 Supreme Court case ruling that those who were juveniles at the time of their offense must be given a sentencing hearing to determine if life without parole is appropriate under their specific circumstances. They … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Hears Case on Why Juveniles Should Not Die in Jail
Archives for October 2015
Tamar Rice Never Stood a Chance with Police
Justice is often elusive when it comes to blacks killed or injured by police whether 12 years old or 112. So it should come as no surprise when two reports issued over the weekend indicate the same will likely be true for 12 year old Tamir Rice. Tamir was shot and killed on November 22, 2014 by police officer Loehmann while he was playing with a toy gun in a Cleveland Park. A 911 call alerted that someone probably a “juvenile” with a “fake gun” was in the park. Tamir was holding a toy gun and killed within seconds of the officer arriving on the scene to investigate. And like so many before him, these reports indicate the officer was acting reasonably when Tamir was shot. The reports and passage of time since Tamir’s death leads one to almost conclude that once again justice will be denied without an indictment, arrest or trial. Two reports, both commissioned by the Cleveland prosecutor’s office came to the same result—that the officer acted reasonable in shooting and killing Tamir … [Read more...] about Tamar Rice Never Stood a Chance with Police