WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from a man who committed robbery and other crimes on a single day when he was 16 and now isn’t eligible for parole until he’s 112 years old.
The justices on Monday left in place defendant Bobby Bostic’s 241-year sentence. Bostic’s lawyers argued that the prison term violated the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The former St. Louis judge who sentenced Bostic had urged the high court to hear the case. She now believes Bostic’s prison term is unjust.
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed life sentences for people under 18 who didn’t kill anyone applies only to a sentence for one crime. Bostic was sentenced for his role in 18 crimes.
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