x
Breaking News
More () »

Court ends conflict over sentencing of juvenile lifers

Many new sentencing hearings for so-called juvenile lifers have been on hold while a decision was in the works.

LANSING, Mich. - A decision this week by the Michigan Supreme Court that judges, not juries, should sentence juvenile defendants to life in prison means 13 of Kent County's most notorious killers will likely return to Grand Rapids for emotionally-charged hearings.

The list includes a Walker teen who fatally stabbed his mother and two sisters in January 2003 and a 16-year-old who killed a Sparta teen in 1996 and recorded himself talking to the severed head.

The two, now in their 30s, should never get out of prison, retired Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth said.

Many new sentencing hearings for so-called juvenile lifers have been on hold while a decision was in the works.

In a 4-2 opinion released Wednesday, the Supreme Court says there are no constitutional violations in allowing a judge to order a no-parole sentence for a teen under 18.

Chief Justice Stephen Markman says a trial judge doesn't need to find any particular fact before choosing the highest punishment.

Justices Bridget McCormack and Richard Bernstein disagreed. They also said a no-parole sentence for minors should be reviewed by appellate courts under a strict standard.

More than 360 juvenile killers were locked up in Michigan prisons when the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 ruled mandatory life sentences for juvenile killers was unconstitutional. It later said the ruling must be applied retroactively.

About two dozen of the offenders were from Kent County. The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not oppose reduced sentences in about half of the cases. Many were given new terms of between 40 and 60 years in prison, with credit for time served.

“We thought these cases were ones that were benefiting in getting out of prison a little bit earlier, given the circumstances,’’ Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said in an earlier interview.

His office is seeking no-parole sentences for 13 killers, including Jon D. Siesling for the murders of his mother and sisters. Also on the list is Federico Cruz, who was 16 when he met and killed a Sparta teen along railroad tracks near the Sparta Airport. The headless body of David Crawford, 17, remained unidentified for several days. Cruz made a videotape of himself talking to the severed head.

The families of those who were murdered have been living with uncertainty, Becker said earlier.

"They’re the ones who are truly worried about it; the families who thought these were done and over with years ago,'' he said. "They are the people I’m concerned about.’’

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.

Before You Leave, Check This Out