Lee Boyd Malvo – dubbed one of the D.C. Snipers – is seeking to get his prison sentence reduced with the help of a monumental Supreme Court case. Details inside…
Lee Boyd Malvo was one of two men who wreaked havoc on the Washington area in 2002. Lee along with John Allen Muhammad killed at least 10 people and injured several others in a random killing spree that crippled the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The duo was dubbed the “D.C. Snipers.” At the time of the shootings, Lee was 17 and John was in his 40s. Lee received life in prison without parole. Meanwhile, John was executed in 2009.
Now, Lee is back in court so the Supreme Court can hear arguments from Lee’s attorneys. They are asking the court to allow him to be resentenced because recent Supreme Court cases have upheld that courts must consider a minor’s age before sentencing them to life without parole. It follows another recent ruling (2005) that the courts can NOT sentence minors to death.
Since the Miller v. Alabama case barred mandatory life without parole sentences for minors in 2012, Lee’s attorneys are requesting a resentencing. In 2016, the Montgomery v. Louisiana case allowed for the rule to be applied retroactively to include prisoners who were previously sentenced, which would include Lee. According to an appeals court, Lee is entitled to resentencing with the new laws in place.
CNBC reports:
“Malvo was 17 years old when he committed the murders, and he now has the retroactive benefit of new constitutional rules that treat juveniles differently for sentencing,” the court reasoned. Virginia asked the Supreme Court to review that decision, and has argued in court papers that Malvo’s sentence — four life terms without parole — was not mandatory, and therefore not covered by the court’s previous cases. In March, the justices agreed to hear the case.
The case has spurred conflicting briefs from powerful forces. The Trump administration, represented by Solicitor General Noel Francisco, has filed a brief siding with Virginia. So too did 15 states led by Indiana and the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center.
Siding with Malvo in the matter is the American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Juvenile Law Center.
It was previously reported John “groomed” Lee – who is now 34 - to be his protégé of sorts, and that’s how he was coerced into joining him on this killing spree.
It seems victims of the snipers are divided - some survivors and family members say they oppose a resentencing.
In addition to being sentenced to four life sentences in Virginia, Lee was also sentenced to multiple life sentences in Maryland. It’s reported other states could also pursue murder charges. Even if his sentence is reduced, it’s still seemingly unlikely he will ever be released from prison.
Photo: Virginia Department of Corrections via AP
source: theybf
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