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Originally Posted by AOIIBrandi
This case was on the news the other night. They interviewed the prosecutor and some of the jury pool. They all agreed that because of the way the law is written they could not consider the spirit of the law or anything else of that nature. The sentence was 10 years no matter what. All were against the sentence term, but there was nothing they could do short of finding him not-guilty and I guess the jury felt he was guilty of the crime even if the sentence seemed to harsh. It also appears that they are trying to get the legislature to change the law (more than it already has been) and possibly get his sentence reduced or negated.
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The prosecutor had a choice on whether or not to charge the teen with a crime. He also stated in the article that the young man should have taken the plea and served 5 years. So I don't buy my hands were tied. Also the law has been changed but can not be made retroactive for this young man's case. I also think another issue that rises in regards to race is that their has been and still continues to be huge disparities in sentencing terms for whites and blacks convicted of the same crime.
The law doesn't surprise me, I think there was a thread on here at one point about the obsurd laws in particular states. For instance, if I'm not mistaken in Alabama it's still illegal for balck and whites to marry. It may not be enforceable, but it's still on the books.