Court: Juvenile Killer Ruling Not Retroactive
An Alabama appeals court has ruled that a U.S. Supreme Court decision about teenage killers doesn’t apply to Alabama murders that occurred before the decision was issued in 2012.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that the Eighth Amendment forbids a sentencing plan that mandates life in prison without parole for juvenile offenders.
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals issued rulings Friday that the decision is not retroactive and does not apply to cases of juveniles under 18 who were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole before the decision was issued.
The appeals court’s rulings affected four inmates from Jefferson County with life without parole sentences: Marcus Presley, Trace Royal Duncan, Louis Christopher Mangione and Tommy Lee Rutledge.
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