Crime

Wayne County Seeks to Resentence 81 Juvenile Lifers

July 22, 2016, 2:38 PM

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Kym Worthy (file photo)

Some state inmates convicted of murder while teens, now serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, are expected to get reduced punishment.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy filed court motions Thursday and Friday to resentence  81 of  Wayne County county’s 145 juvenile lifer cases, Mike Martindale and Oralandar Brand Williams of The Detroit News report.

“We spent a significant amount of time analyzing each case. Although we had a short amount of time under the statute, we gave a considered and thoughtful review,” Worthy says in a statement Friday. “We combed trial transcripts, prison records and numerous other documents. We sought input from victims’ families, when they could be located during this short window of time.

“Without commenting on my personal opinion, we have fulfilled our obligation to protect the public and to follow the spirit and intent of the Supreme Court decisions.”

The nation's highest court ruled four years ago that life without parole sentences were cruel and unusual punishment. The court ruled that sentences needed to be at least reviewed to determine if a resentence was appropriate. 

The motions filed this week do not cover convicted drug dealer Richard Wershe Jr., who was nicknamed "White Boy Rick." He was first arrested when he was 17. He remains in prison at age 47.

Wershe was originally sentenced to life without parole for drug trafficking under a state law. The law was later changed and his sentence was reduced to life with the possibility of parole. The state has rejected every request for parole.

Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, said the the latest motions only apply to people who were convicted of homicides as teens and are serving non-parolable life terms. 


Read more:  The Detroit News


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