The Supreme Court has been debating whether it is appropriate to imprison children for life for many years. 2010 saw a ruling that life sentences for juveniles were illegal unless the offence was murder. They did not call for the immediate release of individuals who were already in jail for non homicide offenses.
Here are some of the children who served and are probably serving the longest prison sentences.
1. Kenneth Young
When Kenneth was 15 years old, his mother’s drug dealer threatened his family so much. He decided to take control of the situation by helping the drug dealer to carry out an armed robbery, however, they both were arrested while fleeing a boxed robbery in Georgia.
The dealer got one life sentence while Kenneth received three life sentences without the possibility of parole! This was really pretty harsh as he was just a kid forced to do something out of knowledge. He is now condemned to die in prison.
2. Lionel Tate
One of the youngest people to ever get a life sentence in American history was Lionel Tate. Only 13 years old.
But his crime was terrible. Tate claimed in 2001 that he had been "practicing wrestling maneuvers" with his neighbor's six year old child, but the girl's wounds revealed a different tale. She died from several lacerations and fractured bones after being violently battered and trampled on.
3. Eric Smith
In 1993, a four year old neighbor was alone in the park when 13 year old Eric Smith noticed him. He enticed the youngster into the woods before sodomizing him with a branch and dropping a boulder on his head.
Smith asserts that the crime was motivated by his anger toward his peers. His thick glasses and red hair made him a frequent target of bullying, so he chose to vent his resentment on the young youngster. At the age of 36, Smith had already received eight denials of parole.
4. John Silva
John was 15 years old when he was convicted of a first degree murder. He kidnapped his friend gagging him, then wrapped him with wires, bandages and elastic so tight that he suffocated to death.
Once he died, he dumped the body into a septic tank. If he had been an adult, he would surely receive a death penalty instead John received a life sentence without a parole.
5. Joshua Phillips
When Joshua Phillips was 14 years old, he killed his eight year old neighbor by stabbing and strangling her before concealing her body under his waterbed.
His mother discovered a bad scent when cleaning his room eight days later. The neighborhood kid that everyone had been looking for was right there in her son's room.
Phillips said that he inadvertently hit the girl with a baseball before committing the crime. He killed her and hid her body out of concern that his father would become unhappy.
6. Brian Lee Draper
Brian Lee Draper decided to murder a classmate in 2006 after being inspired by the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
When they were just 16 years old, Draper and his accomplice Torey Adamcik meticulously planned the murder of their classmate Cassie Jo Stoddart. The two attacked her 29 times while hiding inside her home, cutting the electricity. Both are currently serving life terms and hold each other responsible for the crime.
Source
1. https://youtu.be/SZaIK39cvzs
2. https://www.boomplay.com/buzz/2204718
3. https://viralnova.com/kids-with-life-sentences/
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