Tag: life without parole
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Colorado justices decline to find life sentences unconstitutional for non-triggermen
A life sentence without parole does not violate the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment for defendants who did not kill the victim personally, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Prior to 2021, life without parole was the punishment for those convicted of felony murder. A defendant is guilty of felony murder if…
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Colorado’s justices hesitant to find lifetime sentences unconstitutional for felony murder
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court on Monday gave an unenthusiastic reception to the idea that defendants currently serving life without the possibility of parole for felony murder are subject to cruel and unusual or “grossly disproportionate” sentences. Felony murder does not require that a person kill the victim themselves. Instead, a defendant can be…
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As Colorado Supreme Court weighs life without parole for felony murder, ex-lawmaker casts doubt on state’s argument
As the Colorado Supreme Court sits down on Monday to decide whether defendants convicted of felony murder prior to 2021 should receive new sentences less severe than life without the possibility of parole, a key legislative change will play a prominent role in the legal analysis. However, according to the lawmaker who led the effort…
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Appeals court: Defendant’s traumatic brain injury not a basis for finding life sentence unconstitutional
Despite the state legislature’s recognition that traumatic brain injuries lead to a greater risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday ruled such injuries do not make a defendant’s life sentence cruel and unusual. Stanley Paul Jurgevich, who is serving life in prison with the possibility of parole for his 1988…