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Monday, November 14, 2011

Ind. Courts - "Indiana teen who strangled brother seeks sentence cut"

The Supreme Court has scheduled an oral argument at 1:00 PM this afternoon to hear a direct appeal in the case of Andrew Conley v. State of Indiana. From the Court summary:

Conley, a teenager, pleaded guilty to murdering his younger brother, and the Ohio Circuit Court sentenced him to life without parole. In this direct appeal, Conley argues the sentence was inappropriate.
In a rare departure, the argument will be heard outside the Court's Statehouse courtroom. Rather, all involved in this southeastern Indiana case will be traveling to Indiana University – South Bend.

Charles Wilson, of the AP bureau here in Indianapolis, covered the trial last fall and today has a long, widely syndicated report on the upcoming argument. Some quotes:

An Indiana teenager who strangled his 10-year-old brother and admired a fictional serial killer should not have been sentenced to life in prison without parole because he was mentally ill, his attorney argued in appealing for a lighter sentence. * * *

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments on [Andrew] Conley's appeal today in South Bend. Conley, now 19, unexpectedly pleaded guilty as his trial was set to begin in September 2010. He was sentenced to life without parole following a five-day hearing before a judge in which his videotaped confession was played.

Here is the same story, via the AP site.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 14, 2011 08:44 AM
Posted to Ind. Sup.Ct. Decisions