Harris v. State

The Supreme Court reversed the order of the circuit court denying Appellant a resentencing hearing and imposing a life sentence with parole eligibility pursuant to the Fair Sentencing of Minors Act of 2017 (FSMA), holding that the relevant provisions of the FSMA were inapplicable to Appellant.Appellant was found guilty of capital murder for a crime he committed when he was fifteen years old. Appellant was sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. After the United States Supreme Court decided Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460, 479 (2012), Appellant petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus. The circuit court vacated Appellant’s sentence and remanded for resentencing. On remand, pursuant to the FSMA, the circuit court summarily resentenced Appellant to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after thirty years. In reversing, the Supreme Court held (1) the relevant provisions for the FSMA were inapplicable to Appellant; and (2) therefore, Appellant was entitled to a hearing to present evidence for consideration and sentencing within the discretionary range for a Class Y felony. View "Harris v. State" on Justia Law