A proposed change to Louisiana law that would allow district attorneys to seek juvenile life without parole for first-degree murder but not murder in the second-degree passed the Louisiana House Tuesday, 82-3.
For old cases in which the crime was committed prior to Senate Bill 16 becoming law, district attorneys could still seek life without parole for both first and second-degree murder.
Recently, triple murderer Chad Young was allowed to change three first-degree murder guilty to pleas to manslaughter pleas. As a result he will serve 32 years in prison instead of the three life sentences he agree to in 1992 for the murder of his father, mother and brother in 1988.
Young’s plea change was attributed to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that eliminated life sentences without parole and the death penalty for those convicted of crimes while under the age of 18.
Young was resentenced on May 16 and will be released in November 2020.
SB16 is part of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ criminal justice reform package and was sponsored by Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge.
The measure allows district attorneys 90 days to serve notice of an intent to seek a sentence of juvenile life without parole in first-degree murder cases. A resentencing hearing would follow, in which a judge would determine the juvenile’s opportunity for parole.
If the district attorney does not file notice in a timely manner, the juvenile will receive life with parole and would be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison.
It passed the Senate 22-13 in late April.
(Reporting by Caitie Burkes of the Manship School News Service)